


The Death Lion (Merlin Fanfic) Part 1: The Lake of Peace (Completed)

by VikaFromTheMoon



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Animals, Bandits & Outlaws, Battle, Caught, Dark Fantasy, Death, Disasters, Dragon Age Lore, Epic Bromance, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Horseback Riding, Knight, Law Enforcement, Legends, Magic, Magical Bond, Magical Boys, Male Friendship, Medieval, Mermaids, Middle Ages, Monsters, Once and Future King, Origin Myths, Poison, Princes & Princesses, Sirens, Spirit Animals, Spirits, Swords & Sorcery, Treason, Villains, War, Witches, Wizards, hero - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:02:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25253542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VikaFromTheMoon/pseuds/VikaFromTheMoon
Summary: For two weeks now, Camelot has been at peace. King Arthur is finally settling in as being king, but Merlin is suspicious of the lack of attacks from Morgana. During these past two weeks, she has come up with a deadly new plan that will guarantee her victory over Camelot. She's summoned a creature of the Old Religion, a Death Lion, to infiltrate the king's head. After the Feast of Peace, Arthur suddenly turns extremely hostile, even towards Merlin. Before Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table know it, Camelot's king goes missing. Believing Arthur's hostility is the result of an enchantment, Merlin embarks on an epic quest with the knights and Guinevere to find him and destroy the beast. The Death Lion proves to be much more dangerous than he thought, though, for it has the power to strip him of his magic. If Merlin can't use magic, then he won't be able to save Arthur. Will Merlin succeed, or will Camelot finally fall into the hands of Morgana?
Kudos: 10





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anyone who is a Merlin Fan!](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Anyone+who+is+a+Merlin+Fan%21).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Camelot was finally at peace. Then the Death Lion struck.

Deep in the forest, crows cawed from their perches. They were not the only ones who lived here. There was also a hut, which was home to Morgana Pendragon, a powerful enchantress.  
For two weeks now, Camelot had been at peace, but this was because Morgana was preparing for her most deadly plan yet. Inside the hut, she and her minion, Agravaine de Bois were standing over a bubbling cauldron. An evil look on her face, Morgana stirred the potion with a huge, wooden spoon. A green and purple glow showered on hers and Agravaine’s faces.  
Agravaine glanced at Morgana and asked, “So, this is what you’ve been working on for the past two weeks, My Lady?”  
“Patience, Agravaine. A potion takes time to perfect.” Morgana said.  
“What exactly is your plan?” Agravaine wanted to know.  
Morgana smirked. She picked up a glass vile from her work bench, bringing it in between her and her minion. She then dipped her spoon into the potion and poured it inside. “Give this to the king before the banquet,” she explained. “I know he has been stressed lately, so tell him it's a potion that Gaius prescribed for him. When he takes it, he will slowly become drunk from its magic. Tomorrow, his mind should be focused only on our pet, and we shall lure him here.” Morgana put the cap on the vile and held it out to Agravaine.  
Chuckling evilly, he accepted it. “I’m sure it will enjoy a juicy king for breakfast. What do you think it’ll like most: his heart, liver, or stomach?”  
“We’ll just have to wait and see.” Morgana said. “Do not fail me this time, Agravaine.”  
“Right, My Lady.” Agravaine bowed to her, and he tucked the vile into his cape. He headed over to the hut’s door, opening it.  
Once he was outside, a growl came from the hut’s furthermost, darkest corner. Morgana went over there so she could comfort whatever it was that was hiding. “Not now, my pet,” she snickered. “We need to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.”  
The growling continued. A pair of red eyes appeared in the shadows, as well as a faint set of fangs.  
“You’re growing.” Morgana added. “This is just what we want.” She peered over her shoulder to the now closed front door and talked to herself. “You can try all you want to stop me, Emrys, but you won’t be able to. Your magic is useless.” Morgana was confident that this time for sure, she would succeed. The fall of Camelot was imminent, and the throne was just as good as hers. The reign of the Death Lion…had begun.


	2. Chapter 1 Agravaine's Plot

“You seriously want to hold a banquet tonight?” Merlin, King Arthur’s manservant, asked in the morning hours of Camelot. The two friends were in Arthur’s chambers. Merlin was making up his bed, and Arthur was sitting at his desk.  
He held his quill pen in his hand and explained, “Merlin. Camelot has been at peace for two weeks now. Don’t you think this is a cause for celebration?”  
The young king was in his early twenties. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. Merlin was about his age, maybe a little bit younger. He had black hair. He was also a powerful sorcerer, but Arthur didn’t know this. After all, magic was outlawed in Camelot.  
At Arthur’s question, Merlin shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, but –”  
“I’m the king of Camelot. I can do whatever I want.” Arthur argued.  
“I am aware of that, but perhaps we should think this over?” Merlin questioned. He forced a nervous smile.  
“I can have as many banquets and ladies as I want,” continued Arthur.  
“Ooh, is that what being a king looks like to you?” said Merlin.  
Arthur rolled his eyes. He was lucky Merlin was his friend. Anyone else who talked to him like that would probably get flogged. Clearing his throat, he said, “Besides, I think a banquet is the perfect way to get you away from the tavern.”  
Merlin let out a sarcastic scoff. “Trust me, sire. I do not think about the tavern every day.”  
“Really? Then how come I always hear you’re in it?”  
Merlin scoffed again, finishing with Arthur’s bed. He turned and faced him, expecting him to throw something.  
Arthur didn’t. He merely rose from his chair and gave his orders. “We don’t have time for this. I need you to polish my armor, muck out my stalls, and wash my clothes. After that, I want you to put together the largest feast Camelot has ever seen. I’m going to call it the Feast of Peace.”  
“Yes, sire.” Bowing, Merlin turned on his heel. He picked up Arthur's dirty clothes and left his chambers.  
He didn’t even get halfway down the hallway before Arthur called for him. “Merlin!”  
“Oh boy.” Merlin turned around to see him coming in his direction.  
“I didn’t give you permission to leave.” Arthur complained.  
“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you want me to tie a rope to us?” Merlin joked. “You just told me to get ready for the feast.”  
“That’s Feast of Peace to you! Here, you forgot these.” Arthur tossed his old bedsheets into Merlin’s already full arms. “I want them thoroughly scrubbed. All right, now you have my permission to start your chores.”  
Merlin gagged when he smelled Arthur’s sheets.  
Smirking, his friend gave him a pat on the shoulder.

***

Merlin first polished Arthur’s armor, but he worked on it in Gaius’s place. Gaius was the court physician of Camelot. He had brilliant knowledge about science and magic, and was Merlin’s father-like figure. Since Merlin was going to be busy today, he used magic so the armor could polish itself.  
Unfortunately, Gaius caught him. After finishing his daily round of delivering medicine to citizens, he stepped into the room. Gaius was an old man who had long, white hair. To Merlin, he asked, “Just what on Earth are you doing?”  
Merlin was so shocked that he jumped. He quickly ordered for the armor to stop polishing itself. It fell to the ground with a loud clang.  
Gaius crossed his arms, anxiously waiting for Merlin’s excuse.  
The young man said, “I have to, Gaius. I am going to be extremely busy today. Arthur expects me to finish my chores and get ready for the banquet tonight.”  
“So, he’s following through with it?” Gaius wanted to know.  
Merlin chuckled. “Well, considering how much of a dollop head and clotpole he is, I’m not surprised.” He lost his smile, adding, “Don’t you find it strange, Gaius, that Morgana hasn’t attacked for two weeks?”  
Shrugging, Gaius set his medicine bag down on a table and admitted, “Maybe a little bit, but we both know how good a king Arthur is. Perhaps Morgana has given up?”  
“Oh, she never gives up.” Merlin said. “There’s something fishy going on. I need to find a way to stop Arthur from throwing the feast.”  
“And how exactly are you planning on doing that?” asked Gaius. “Merlin, maybe you should give Arthur a chance. He’s finally settling in as king, and he needs to be rewarded for it.”  
“Not if a sinister plot is going on.” Merlin argued. “The Great Dragon said that it is my destiny to protect him, and I intend to do just that.”

***

“So, you’re excuse for me to not throw the banquet is the tavern?” Arthur asked Merlin a little bit later. He and Merlin were standing in the castle’s throne room. Behind them was a stained-glass window, and a table with a few goblets on it was next to them.  
Merlin sarcastically chuckled. “Uh, I think you heard me wrong. I said I think you’re walking into a trap.”  
“Really?” Arthur clearly didn’t believe him. “A feast that I ask for myself is considered a trap?”  
Merlin tried to reason with him. “What if Morgana wants this? Think about it, Arthur. She never gives up, yet she has not attacked in two weeks. She’s planning something. I know she is. If she’s going to attack, she’ll do it tonight.”  
Arthur crossed his arms and lowered his head. “And this, Merlin, is exactly why we don’t spend so much time in the tavern. Your brain turns all foggy.” He picked up a goblet, threatening Merlin with it. “As king of Camelot, I want the feast to happen tonight. No exceptions.” To get Merlin moving, he bopped his head with the goblet.  
“Ow!” he complained. Rubbing his head, Merlin added, “Yes, sire.” He gave him a quick bow before he hustled out of the throne room. He bumped into Guinevere (Gwen) when he did.  
A pretty, young woman, she had long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She was another servant in the castle. Gwen had a bundle of sheets in her arms. She noticed Merlin’s upset face and asked, “What’s wrong?”  
“Arthur, that’s what’s wrong.” Merlin told her.  
“Maybe you should let him throw the banquet.” Guinevere said. “Please, Merlin. This is the first time in months I’ve seen him so confident about being king.”  
Merlin considered her words. A thoughtful look on his face, he crossed his arms.

***

Arthur thought he was all alone in the throne room, but he really wasn’t. Agravaine was spying on him from behind a wall. An evil smile broke across his face. He was Arthur’s uncle, so he knew he trusted him.  
Arthur was adjusting a few goblets on the table. He didn’t notice Agravaine sneaking up on him. That was until he heard his footsteps. Startled, the young king whirled around. In the process, he knocked down at least three goblets. They crashed into the floor and rolled away from him.  
“Oh, did I scare you, My Lord?” Agravaine asked.  
“Uncle Agravaine.” Seeing him, Arthur calmed down. He cleared his throat and stood tall, like a king should. “What do you want?” he questioned.  
“I just can’t help but to notice you look stressed.” Agravaine said. “Tell me, my boy. What is it that’s bothering you?”  
Sighing, Arthur admitted, “I am the king of Camelot. I have the right to make whatever decisions I want. I don’t think Merlin knows this yet.”  
“All men get jealous.” Agravaine said. “Merlin just wishes he was you. You don’t need him to boss you around, sire. After all, he is just a servant.”  
“You do have a point.” Arthur nodded his head to show he understood.  
Agravaine kept the conversation moving. “Anyway, I told Gaius I was concerned about you.”  
“Really?” Arthur gave him a funny look.  
“You’re the only family I have, My Lord.” Agravaine continued. “I don’t want you to feel stressed. Gaius asked me to give you something that would hopefully bring your stress level down.”  
“What is it?” Arthur questioned.  
“A potion.” At these words, Agravaine reached into his cape, pulling out the vial Morgana gave him. “It’s made from a special type of herb and berry, giving it the appearance of wine. Gaius said it will calm you right down.” He held the vial out to Arthur.  
He studied it for a few minutes with a thoughtful look on his face. Did he need a stress potion? Yeah, he did. Smiling, he reached forward and took the vial out of Agravaine’s hand. “Thank you.”  
“My Lord.” Agravaine bowed. “Gaius said not to take it all at once. We want to keep you de-stressed for the rest of the day.”  
“Gaius really has his ways, doesn’t he?” Arthur asked.  
“Indeed.” Agravaine said in between clenched teeth. He watched as the young king popped up the potion’s top.  
Arthur sniffed it before shrugging. He took a sip from the vial.  
While he drank, Agravaine smiled evilly. He quickly lost it when Arthur finished drinking.  
“Wow,” he said, “Out of all the potions I’ve taken, that one actually tastes really good.”  
Smirking, Agravaine said, “Wonderful. Already your stress is improving. You need to remember to keep taking it.”  
“Hey, if it will help me prepare for tonight, it’s all mine.” Arthur laughed. “Thank you again, Agravaine.” With that, he started towards the room’s exit, but he tripped over his own feet. Arthur quickly caught himself by holding out his arms. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled at Agravaine who smiled back.  
Once Arthur was out of the room, Agravaine chuckled menacingly. “Everything is going according to plan,” he whispered to himself. “Soon Camelot will not have a king, but a drunk peasant who spent the whole day in the tavern.”


	3. Chapter 2 The Feast of Peace

Merlin took Arthur’s clothes and sheets to the castle’s bathhouse to wash them. It was privately owned and had a number of bathing buckets up and down the hall. Just as Merlin was finishing up, he received quite a surprise.  
Arthur stumbled into the bathhouse. At the sight of Merlin, he grinned a stupid grin. “Merlin!”  
A question mark seemed to appear above Merlin’s head. “Arthur?” he asked. He peered over his shoulder to Arthur who continued to grin.  
“I’ve missed you!” Before Merlin could fight him, Arthur suddenly pulled him into a tight hug. “I looked all over the castle!”  
“Arthur!” Merlin felt like his spine was going to break. He quickly pulled away from his friend so he could breathe.  
“You work so hard!” It was weird hearing a compliment coming from Arthur’s lips.  
“Thanks?” Merlin questioned.  
Arthur held up his index finger, saying, “You know what? I’ve decided! When you’re done with my laundry, you can have the rest of the day off!”  
“What?” Merlin never got a day off. What on Earth was going on with Arthur right now? “What about the Feast of Peace?” he wanted to know.  
Arthur sniggered. “Poppycock. I’ll have the cooks prepare. Why don’t you spend the rest of the day in the tavern?” With that, he patted Merlin’s shoulder.  
He stumbled out of the bathhouse, leaving Merlin to merely stare. Okay, that was literally the weirdest encounter he’s ever had with Arthur Pendragon. Nevertheless, he finished with his laundry and delivered his clean clothes and sheets to his room.  
On his way to Gaius’s, he found Arthur in the throne room with the Knights of the Round Table, particularly Sir Leon, Sir Elyan, Sir Gwaine, and Sir Percival. They were listening to a speech. A young woman was standing in front of the throne, giving a monologue about how Camelot’s changed her and her family since they’ve moved here. It actually wasn’t a bad speech. In fact, the knights were interested. Arthur, though; Merlin noticed he was struggling to stay awake. His eyes kept drooping, and he had to constantly shake out his head. Merlin doubted he was even paying attention. He prepared to step inside so he could check on him, but then the speech ended.  
Arthur snapped awake. Together, he and the knights clapped their hands, congratulating the woman.  
She blushed and gave them a quick curtsy.  
From where he was hiding, Merlin muttered, “Hm,” under his breath.

***

“Uh oh, what’s bothering you now?” Gaius asked Merlin when he came home. He was working on making another potion from some herbs he picked up that morning.  
“Arthur gave me the day off.” Merlin explained.  
“Did he now?” said Gaius. “Well, perfect. That means you can finish herb gathering for me today.”  
“He complimented my service.” Merlin added.  
“Really? Well, that certainly is new.” Gaius admitted.  
“He never compliments me!” Merlin said. He tried to get it through his thick skull what may have happened to Arthur between the time he was in his chambers, and when he met him in the bathhouse.  
Gaius tried to make him feel better. “I’m sure the king meant nothing that he said.”  
Merlin rolled his eyes. “Geez, thanks.”  
“Now, I didn’t mean it like that.”  
“I know. Excuse me, Gaius. I just need to think.” Merlin gave Gaius a quick head bow before he slipped into his room. Closing his door, he plopped down on his bed.  
Back in the main room, Gaius chuckled. Kids. He would never understand them.

***

The Feast of Peace was held that night at 6:30.  
Before it started, Merlin headed into Arthur’s room. He usually had to help him with his armor before a special occasion. He tried to hold back a laugh when he saw Arthur was struggling to put on his chainmail. It kept on dropping from his hands, and it took the king with it.  
Arthur constantly said, “Ow, ow, ow.”  
Finally, Merlin spoke up. “Do you want me to help you, sire?”  
“Merlin!” It was strange. Arthur may have been proud of his servant earlier, but he certainly wasn’t proud of him now. “Where have you been? What happened to mucking out my horses and polishing my boots?”  
“Um, you gave me the day off.” Merlin explained.  
“I did WHAT?!” Arthur’s voice cracked. It sounded absolutely hilarious. “Oh, I see how it is. You’re using this as an excuse to say you had a good time with your friends in the tavern.”  
“You literally said I could have the day off.” Merlin argued.  
“I would never do such a thing! That’s preposterous!” Arthur kept on struggling with his chainmail. “Ow.” He clenched his teeth, but the armor once again dropped him onto the floor.  
Merlin crossed his arms and chuckled. “You look stressed, sire.”  
“I am not stressed!” However, Arthur ended up chucking his belt over Merlin’s head. It smashed into the wall.  
“Let me help you.” Merlin continued.  
A sudden voice behind the two boys, though, caused him to leap out of his skin. “Allow me, Merlin. After all, you technically do have the day off.” It was Agravaine. He literally just appeared from out of nowhere.  
“Ah, Uncle. Come on in.” Arthur said.  
“Thank you, My Lord.” At his command, Agravaine came into the room. “Leave us,” he said to Merlin.  
Merlin tried to protest. “But –”  
Arthur interrupted him. “You heard the man. Don’t worry, you’ll be _extra_ busy tomorrow.”  
“Yes, sire.” Merlin said in between clenched teeth. He headed out and whispered under his breath, “Yep, there is definitely something fishy going on.”

***

“Can you believe I gave him the day off? Ridiculous.” Arthur said to Agravaine.  
Agravaine shrugged. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to, My Lord.” He picked up Arthur’s belt, helping him with his chainmail instead. “You do look a little stressed, though. Maybe you should take another sip from that potion.”  
Arthur nodded. He went over to his nightstand next to his bed and picked up the vile. It was almost empty. Arthur finished it off. He twisted the potion’s top back on before he set it back down on his nightstand.  
Agravaine turned away from him, so Arthur couldn’t see him smiling. Now it was time for the fun part. The Feast of Peace.

***

Things only got weirder from there. The next time Merlin saw Arthur was in the banquet hall. Even though he sacked him for the day, he remained in his presence. This was just in case something happened, and he needed to use magic to save him.  
The feast was very festive. Commoners were allowed to attend it, not just the royal court. There was music, dancing, laughing, and playing. Members of the royal court wore red capes that had Camelot’s symbol on them. King Arthur even spotted his crown.  
As he made his way over to the banquet table, his eyes landed on Merlin. “Merlin! There you are!” This time, he did not look mad.  
Merlin gave him a quick nod. “Sire.”  
Like what he did in the bathhouse, Arthur gave him a tight hug. Letting go, he clutched his shoulder and said, “You know what I love the most about you, Merlin? The fact that you’re such an idiot!”  
“I thought you were mad at me,” said Merlin.  
“Mad? How can I be mad when I have the best servant in the world? Man, I’ll tell you, Merlin! That potion Gaius prescribed for me is working wonders!”  
“Potion? What potion?” Another question mark seemed to appear above Merlin’s head. He didn’t recall Gaius giving Arthur a potion. If he did, he would’ve told him.  
“I feel terrific! Come on! You need to join us for the feast!” Arthur said. He let Merlin’s shoulder go and stumbled back in the direction of the banquet table. He was very unsteady on his feet. He looked drunk.  
A lady even stopped him and asked, “Sire, how much have you had to drink today?”  
Arthur again smiled stupidly. “I’ve had nothing!” Which was true.  
“Are you sure about that?” said the lady.  
“I feel terrific!” Finally, Arthur joined the Knights of the Round Table at the banquet table.  
Merlin paced back and forth on the outside of it, observing the king’s behavior.  
“Hello, Percival!” Arthur told Sir Percival. He smacked him in the back of the head for his greeting.  
Percival was taken by such surprise that he spilled his wine all over his chainmail. He gave Arthur a funny look.  
The young king plopped down in his chair and did something Arthur in his right mind would never do. He picked up his wine goblet and put his boots on the table.  
The knights gagged, and the commoners in the crowd stared.  
“Isn’t this fantastic?” Arthur asked. “This is what I call a true feast of peace.”  
Merlin moved quickly. He approached Arthur’s back and leaned into his ear. “Sire, maybe you should take your feet off the table. It’s not exactly…kingly.”  
“Not now, Merlin. Who knew being a king would be this luxurious?” Arthur said. He took a sip from his wine goblet. Lowering it, he burped loudly. That got the guests’ attention.  
Movement in the banquet hall stopped. Commoners, even servants of the castle, stared at the king. The knights were absolutely humiliated. Their faces turned a bright shade of red.  
Agravaine was having the best time of his life. He sat on the other side of Sir Leon and hid behind his hand, so nobody would see him laughing.  
Poor Arthur. It wasn’t his fault he was acting this way. To Merlin, he asked, “Do you think you can get me a pillow, Merlin?”  
It did not take long for Merlin to realize he was slipping into sleep, just like what happened with the speech earlier. “Sire,” he said. He shook Arthur’s shoulder, but it was already too late.  
Arthur fell fast asleep. Before the guests and knights knew it, he was snoring as loudly as he burped. Drool ran down the sides of his mouth.  
Gaius and Gwen, who were present during the incident, exchanged weird looks with one another.  
Some of the guests were so embarrassed by Arthur’s behavior that they left early. It just wasn’t often that the king spent the entire day in the tavern.  
Merlin tried to wake Arthur up. “Arthur. Arthur!” He slapped his face, shook his shoulders, and bopped him on the head. He also picked up a napkin and rubbed the drool from his lips.  
Arthur kept on snoring.  
Merlin chuckled nervously. “Sorry, gentlemen,” he said to the knights. “He’s just unwell. I think he needs to go to bed.”  
“Yes, maybe he should,” big man Percival growled. He was still upset that he had wine on his chainmail.  
Merlin took Arthur’s feet off the table and pulled him out of his seat. His crown ended up falling from his head, but Sir Elyan caught it. People merely stared as Merlin put Arthur’s arm over his shoulders. He dragged him out of the banquet hall, followed closely by Gaius and Guinevere.

***

Merlin, Gaius, and Gwen took Arthur to his chambers. They worked together to pull off his armor and push him down on his bed. Since he was the king, Merlin put two pillows under his head.  
Since leaving the banquet hall, Arthur had not woken up, but at least he was no longer snoring.  
Gaius examined him and pulled up his eyelids, admitting, “Hm, just as I feared. Somebody’s drugged him.”  
“Drugged him?” Guinevere frightfully asked. “But who would do such a thing?”  
Merlin crossed his arms. He tapped his foot to think before asking Gaius, “Gaius, did you prescribe him something to take for his stress?”  
“What are you talking about, Merlin?” Gaius was so confused. He removed his hand from Arthur’s eyes and turned to face him.  
“Well.” Merlin kept his arms crossed. “He told me in the banquet hall that the potion you gave him has been working wonders.”  
“But I never gave him a potion.” Gaius argued.  
“Then who did?” asked Guinevere.  
“We won’t be able to ask him until morning.” Gaius explained. “Right now, he needs to rest.” At this sentence, Gaius picked up his medicine bag and left the room.  
Merlin and Gwen exchanged curious looks with one another, as they tried to figure out what on Earth happened to Arthur during the Feast of Peace.

***

Halfway through the banquet, Agravaine snuck out so he could speak with Morgana. He rode his horse to her hut, meeting her in the front yard. She had just returned from a hunting expedition for her pet. She gathered up some rabbits and deer and was cutting out their innards. After all, her pet loved the innards of prey. The heart and liver were particularly tasty.  
“Ah, Agravaine.” Morgana said.  
Agravaine tied his horse up to a tree and approached her. “My Lady.”  
“I trust you bring good news?” Morgana asked. She was holding the heart of a deer in her hand.  
“I do.” Agravaine said. “Everybody thinks that their wonderful king spent the whole day in the tavern. It was literally the best thing I’ve ever seen. The potion worked like a charm.”  
Morgana smirked. “Perfect. That means Step 1 of our plan is complete. Now it’s time to move on to Step 2. We need to lure him to the Death Lion.”


	4. Chapter 3 The Death Lion

Merlin was confident that everything was back to normal in the morning. After all, drugs never lasted forever. In fact, he was excited to have the old Arthur back. He was so excited that he scarfed down his breakfast.  
He and Gaius usually shared a table in the living room. Seeing Merlin’s excited attitude, Gaius said, “Well, you sure are excited today, Merlin.”  
“I just can’t wait to see the old Arthur again.” Merlin admitted.  
“Don’t forget to ask him about who it was that gave him the potion yesterday.” Gaius reminded him.  
Chuckling, Merlin said, “Trust me, Gaius. I don’t forget anything.”  
Gaius gave him a funny look. Even though he didn’t say it out loud, Merlin knew he was mentally asking him _“Are you sure about that?”_  
Merlin put together a nice breakfast for Arthur: scones, fruit, and oatmeal. He bumped into Gwen on his way to his room. Startled, the young man almost dropped the breakfast tray, but he caught it. Good thing too, or else the oatmeal would have spilled all over Gwen’s head. Embarrassed, Merlin blushed. “Gwen!” He met Gwen’s eyes, but his smile quickly faded.  
Gwen was sobbing. Tears fell down her cheeks like a fountain.  
“What’s wrong?” Merlin asked her.  
“He hit me!” Gwen said.  
“Who?”  
“Arthur!”  
“No, Gwen, you must be mistaken.” Merlin shook his head. “Arthur would never do that.”  
Gwen, though, continued to sob. Rubbing her eyes, she pushed by Merlin.  
Confused, he watched her leave.

***

Merlin was surprised to find Arthur already awake when he reached his chambers. Not only that, but he was dressed. He didn’t even look like he was paying attention to Merlin. The young king was hovering over his desk, looking over his schedule for the day.  
Merlin forced a smile. “You’re awake.” He set the breakfast tray down on Arthur’s nightstand.  
“Of course, I am!” Arthur snapped at him. “Who do you think I am, a peasant?”  
“Well, excuse me.” Merlin said. “You sure are grumpy. Is it because you haven’t eaten for twelve hours?” While Arthur was distracted, he took some time to search his bed area for whatever potion he took yesterday. Merlin felt around in his bedsheets and poked around his bedstand. He then fell to his knees and looked under his bed. Everything was going according to plan until Arthur suddenly shouted at him from behind. “What are you doing?!”  
“Yikes!” Merlin ended up banging his head on the bed’s underbody. Before he could come up with an excuse, Arthur grabbed the back of his jacket and yanked him to his feet. Merlin had never seen him so upset before.  
Arthur grabbed Merlin’s shirt collar. Shaking it, he added, “Poking through a king’s belongings is treason! If I ever catch you doing it again, you will be flogged!” At these words, he tossed Merlin across the room.  
Merlin landed on his front. Quickly sitting up, he peered over his shoulder to Arthur. “Ow! What was that for? I’m your servant, Arthur!”  
“So, you shall be treated like one!” Arthur snapped. He picked up the breakfast tray Merlin put on his bedstand. “You call this breakfast? It’s like you pulled it out of a pile of horse dung!” He chucked the tray right at Merlin. It smashed into the ground, causing oatmeal to splash all over Merlin’s face. “Ridiculous,” the king mumbled. “I wish to be left alone. Get out!”  
Merlin did not have to be asked twice. He picked up the tray and hurried out of Arthur’s chambers. In the hallway, he rubbed oatmeal from his face and tried to figure out what on Earth was going on. That was not the Arthur he was used to. He was never so harsh towards his servants. Merlin himself was his best friend. He thought he had the old Arthur back. Guess he was wrong.  
Arthur’s hostile behavior did not improve throughout the rest of the day. He called his cooks a bunch of useless toads and fired a handful of them. He kept on gaining up on Gwen and asking her why a servant girl liked a member of the royal court. He even got on the knights’ cases. This was especially prevalent during a training session later in the day.  
Sir Gwaine was the first knight scheduled to practice against Arthur. Smiling at his king, he asked him, “So, what are we going to work on today, My Lord?” He was always super excited for training.  
“Wipe that stupid smile off your face!” Arthur yelled. Without warning, he lunged his sword at Sir Gwaine.  
Surprised, his first instinct was to block the blow with his shield.  
The training grounds today were full of knights and aspiring knights, all who wished to one day have a friendly sword fight against the King of Camelot.  
Arthur always fought fair, but he didn’t today. He didn’t give Gwaine any time to strike back. He kept on hitting his shield with his sword, and he only grew more violent as the session progressed. “Put your back into it! You’re a disgrace to the Knight’s Code!” Arthur knocked Gwaine to the ground. He landed in a puddle of mud.  
One by one, the rest of the knights leaned to him and asked, “How ya doing, Gwaine?”  
Gwaine forced a smile. “Never better! This is literally the best moment of my life!”  
Again, Arthur yelled, “You’re a disgrace! Fight me like a man!”  
When he said this, Merlin noticed something.  
Arthur’s eyes suddenly flashed red. It ended just as fast as it began.  
Merlin knew it. The king was under a spell. It must have been in the so-called potion he took yesterday.  
Arthur prepared to finish off Gwaine, but before he could, Merlin’s eyes glowed golden-yellow.  
At his command, Arthur’s sword flew from his hand. It stabbed the training ground’s grass. A confused look flashed across Arthur’s face. He started to make his way to his sword, but Merlin didn’t let him get far.  
He pulled Gwaine’s shield off his arm and smashed it across Arthur’s head.  
For a second, Arthur didn’t move nor blink. Then he fell to the ground on his front. Merlin had knocked him out.  
The knights stared. They said not a word. Finally, after about two minutes, they lifted their hands and clapped.  
“Well done, Merlin!” Sir Leon said while Sir Percival helped Gwaine to his feet.  
“Oh, it’s a gift.” Merlin joked. “I’m naturally talented with knocking people out.”

***

Merlin and the knights took Arthur to Gaius’s chambers. Guinevere came with them. They helped the king down on Gaius’s patient table so he could thoroughly examine him.  
“So, you think he’s under a spell?” Gaius asked Merlin.  
“Oh, I don’t think so. I know so.” Merlin said. “Arthur has never acted this hostile towards any of us. When he knocked Gwaine down during the training session, I saw his eyes glow red.”  
“He did not knock me down! I tripped!” Gwaine argued. Next to him, Sir Leon, Sir Percival, and Sir Elyan choked on their own spit as they tried not to laugh.  
A thoughtful look on his face, Gaius rubbed his chin. “If we’re going to figure out what the spell is, then we need to find that potion he took.”  
Smiling, Merlin took Gwen’s hand. “We’ll go right now.”  
At the sight of him comforting her, Gwen blushed.  
“What about us?” Sir Elyan asked.  
“How about you guys stay here?” said Gaius. “Arthur may need somebody else to beat up when he wakes.”  
At the same time, the knights nervously chuckled.

***

Gwen and Merlin returned to Arthur’s chambers. If they were going to find the potion, then it would most likely be in here. At least this time Arthur wasn’t here to yell at Merlin. The two friends rummaged around in the room, hoping they would at least find something. Merlin went through Arthur’s drawers, while Guinevere went through his desk.  
“Find anything?” Merlin asked Guinevere.  
She shook her head. “No.” She was holding a stack of parchment in her hands. “Just all this parchment that says he wants to change how he rules the kingdom. It looks like he wants to run it like Uther.”  
“Oh yeah, he is definitely under a spell.” Merlin said. He remembered Arthur telling him that he did not want to rule like his father, so that was proof that something was going on with him.  
He and Gwen kept on looking, but they found no potion. That was because Agravaine had the vile.  
He snatched it from Arthur’s room when he left to meet Morgana during the feast. He wanted it to make it look like Arthur was slowly turning into his late father, Uther.  
Overnight, Morgana casted a spell that freed the Death Lion’s spirit. She broke it into two halves. One half stayed with the actual Death Lion itself. The other half flew to the castle and possessed Arthur. Point being, a piece of the Death Lion itself was living inside him. Eventually, his half of the beast will want to find the other half. That was Morgana’s plan.

***

“Well?” Gaius asked Gwen and Merlin when they returned to his chambers.  
They hated to bring bad news, but that was all they had.  
Merlin shook his head. “We couldn’t find anything.”  
As soon as he said that, Arthur woke up. His eyes once again glowed red. He shot to his knees on the table and glared at his so-called friends.  
Sobbing, Guinevere asked, “Arthur, what’s wrong?”  
The knights drew their swords and threatened the king with them.  
He did nothing to them. Instead, he looked at Merlin.  
Their eyes met, and instantly, Merlin felt weak. Yelling, he fell to his knees. His face turned white. Arthur, no; the Death Lion, was stripping him of his magic.  
“Merlin!” Gaius quickly caught the young man before he could fall.  
Sir Percival acted fast. He picked up a chair, whacked it across Arthur’s head, and knocked him out again.


	5. Chapter 4 The Secret Room

Merlin woke up soon after Percival knocked Arthur out. Momentarily, his vision was blurry, but it cleared up. The color in his face also returned.  
“What happened?” he asked Gaius.  
“You just collapsed.” Gaius explained. “Are you all right?”  
Guinevere appeared next to the two men. She was holding a cup of water in her hand. Kneeling, she handed it to Merlin.  
“Thank you,” he said. He chugged the water in one gulp. Why did he feel so thirsty all of a sudden? “It was weird.” Merlin admitted. “I suddenly felt drained. Where’s Arthur?”  
“Percival gave him another bop on the head,” said Guinevere.  
Gaius clutched Merlin’s shoulder. He placed his other hand to his forehead to check for a fever, but Merlin didn’t have one. “Interesting. You don’t have a fever.”  
“I feel fine now. Honestly.” Merlin said with a smile. He rose to his feet, glancing from Gwen and Gaius to the knights.  
Gaius sighed. Crossing his arms, he said, “Merlin, I think for the safety of you, Gwen, the knights, and the rest of the royal court, we should probably lock Arthur up in his room for the day. At least until we can figure out the spell. You took one look at him and fell.”  
Lock Arthur up? He definitely would not approve of that. Then again, Gaius did have a point. It wasn’t safe if he stayed out in public. With this in mind, Merlin tossed Arthur’s arm over his shoulders and escorted him to his chambers.  
Guinevere wanted to follow, but Gaius didn’t let her. It was too risky to send more than one person to the king’s chambers right now. Besides, Merlin was Arthur’s best friend.  
He tossed him onto his bed. Gaius gave Arthur a sleeping draft before Merlin left so he wouldn’t wake up any time soon. He tried to hold back a laugh when the king snored just like he did during the feast.  
Once he made sure Arthur was nice and comfortable, Merlin stepped outside. He closed the door behind him, locking it. Sighing, he leaned his back up against it. Merlin was starting to feel drained again. Why though? He couldn’t be getting sick, could he? With his thoughts all scrambled up inside his head, Merlin started down the hallway. Suddenly, though, he felt a presence. It was eerie, cold, like a ghost was in the hall with him. Merlin froze on his tracks. He was in the far west wing of the castle. It was dark here, with very few torches and windows. How did Merlin wind up here? He thought he was going back to Gaius’s. Something must have led him here. The presence only increased the further down the hall he wandered. Merlin picked a torch off the wall to help light his way. Where was he? He didn’t recognize this section of the palace.  
There was a single, wooden door at the end of the hallway. Wood was peeling from its frame. Yet, the presence was coming from the other side of it. With Merlin being Merlin, he was curious. He stopped behind the door and lifted his fists, giving it a gentle knock. Nobody answered. Eventually, Merlin just opened the door. He poked his head inside to a dark room and whispered, “Hello?”  
It was cold in here. Merlin could barely make out the forms of torn curtains. Wherever he was, it was disgustingly messy.  
Slowly and carefully, Merlin stumbled into the room. He ended up knocking over tables and books because he couldn’t see where he was going. Startled, the young man froze. He waited for something to ambush him, but nothing did. The room was extremely cluttered, so it was hard to find his way through it. The closer Merlin approached a corner, the more drained he felt.  
He rubbed sweat from his forehead, asking, “Who’s there?” when something shuffled. He held his torch higher above his head while he went to investigate. Once he felt ready, he leaped into the corner where the shuffling came from. “Got ya!” However, there was nothing there.

***

“Merlin, can you do me a favor and use magic to pull a few books off my bookshelf?” Gaius asked Merlin when he returned from the secret room.  
“Magic?” Merlin asked. “But why? You’re always so strict about when I should and should not use it.”  
Gaius, who was holding a book in his hand, nodded. “I know, but this is crucial to my research. You’re my guinea pig. Come now. We’ve not a minute to lose.”  
Inhaling, Merlin puffed out his cheeks. He headed to Gaius’s bookshelf and was soon standing under it. His eyes scanned it up and down.  
Behind, Gaius curiously scratched his chin.  
For a little bit longer, Merlin did nothing. He was nervous. Finally, though, he said an enchantment under his breath. His eyes again glowed golden-yellow. He managed to use his magic to pull a few books off the shelf, but he could not hold them for long. Only a minute later, they fell to the floor (one or two of them hit Merlin on his head). The impact knocked him onto his backside. He took deep breaths, but was sweating up a storm. Using magic never took this much out of him.  
“Hm, I thought so.” Gaius said. He flipped through his book.  
“What?” Merlin questioned. He and the alchemist met eyes.  
“There is a Death Lion loose in Camelot.” Gaius explained.

***

“The Death Lion is a creature of magic that is conjured from the Old Religion.” Gaius told Merlin a little bit later. “It hails from the Other World.” He was pacing back and forth behind his apprentice who was sitting at his table.  
He had another cup of water in his hand.  
“It takes a very skilled sorcerer to tame one.” Gaius continued. He set his book down in front of Merlin so he could examine it. He had turned to a page that showed a scary-looking, yet beautiful beast. The upper half of its body was covered in lion fur, and its lower half had rough, scaly skin. Its face was lion-like with incredibly powerful fangs, and it also had a lion tail. Behind its ears and mane, it spotted a huge array of sharp antlers. Two more pairs of antlers grew out each side of its cheeks.  
Just looking at it, Merlin shivered. “That’s a Death Lion?” And he thought the Lamia was scary. The Death Lion looked like it came straight out of Hell.  
“Yes.” Gaius said. “They’re related to the Gryphon, but they’re not the same species. For example, Death Lions don’t have wings. They feed on organs. When it catches its prey, it rips its innards out. They are extremely resilient and violent.”  
“What does this have to do with Arthur and I?” Merlin wanted to know.  
Gaius sat across from him so it could be easier to explain such a creature. “Since the Death Lion is a Spirit Creature, it can possess its host. It lures them to its den and kills them. As soon as it does, it feasts. However, it also has the power to rid anyone who practices magic of their abilities. The only way for it to succeed is if a magical being has an encounter with the Death Lion itself.”  
“So, let me get this straight.” Merlin said. “The Death Lion is stripping me of my magic?”  
“It seems that way, yes.” Gaius admitted. “What happened with the books proved it.”  
“But how?” Merlin asked. “I’ve never had an encounter with one!”  
“I beg to differ.”  
Merlin gave Gaius a funny look, but then his mind returned to the secret room. He remembered hearing something in there. Could that have been the Death Lion’s spirit?  
Gaius continued his explanation. “Merlin, you said that since this morning, Arthur’s been acting extremely hostile. He threw you across his room, hit Gwen, and almost killed Gwaine. You also mentioned that his eyes glowed red before you knocked him out. My point is, I believe the Death Lion has possessed him. He’s trying to lure him to his doom.”  
“Which is most likely Morgana.” Merlin added. “I told you, Gaius! I told you that I found it odd she hasn’t attacked in two weeks. She was planning this all along! But did you listen to me? No!”  
“I was wrong to doubt you. I’m sorry.” Gaius apologized.  
Merlin sarcastically scoffed. He shook out his head, saying, “Whatever. How does one defeat a Death Lion?”  
“See, that’s just it.” Gaius said. “It can’t be defeated by magic.”  
Merlin lifted his eyebrows as he tried to let the message sink in. “But it’s a magical being.”  
Gaius nodded. “True, but it’s a different kind of magical being. There is only one way to defeat it.”  
“Which is?”  
Gaius went completely silent. This did not help Merlin’s anxiety.  
“Which is?” he asked again. “Do I have to kill Arthur?”  
Shaking his head, Gaius answered, “Not exactly, but you do need to free the monster’s spirit from his body.”  
“How do I do that?”  
Again, Gaius said nothing. This was something he wanted Merlin to figure out himself. He was young and intelligent. It wouldn’t take him long.  
Merlin, though, was certain that another adventure was just around the corner. He’s always wanted to return to the Perilous Lands. Nevertheless, whatever happened, Merlin knew that this quest would change him and Arthur Pendragon forever.


	6. Chapter 5 The Siren

The night was silent. For the most part everybody, including the guards, were asleep. The ones who were awake tried batting their friends, but to no avail. It was so peaceful in the palace, it was suspicious. Unfortunately, the peace was interrupted when from out of nowhere, King Arthur broke down the door to his chambers. No, not King Arthur but the Death Lion. He appeared in the doorway fully dressed in his armor. A voice in his head was telling him to follow it, and he intended to do just that.  
A few guards, who were woken by all the racket, appeared at the end of the hallway.  
“Sire, what’s wrong?” they asked.  
Arthur said not a word. Instead, he glared at the guards. His eyes glowed red.  
The Death Lion, who was also known to have psychic powers, picked up the guards and chucked them into the wall. It knocked them out. Arthur was definitely not in his right mind now. The spell was too powerful.  
He stepped over the guards’ motionless bodies and sauntered on down to the castle’s stables. He picked out a huge, brown horse and tacked him up. Arthur soon appeared in the castle’s courtyard. Eyes still glowing, he kicked his horse’s sides. The king took off at a full gallop.  
Behind him, Lord Agravaine peeked out from a pillar he was hiding behind. At the sight of Arthur galloping into the moonlight, he cracked an evil smile. This was just what he and Morgana wanted. For once, one of their plans had succeeded. King Arthur was good as dead.

***

“So, they don’t remember anything?” asked Merlin the next morning.  
Gaius was treating the injured guards in his chambers. They managed to wake up, but only briefly. The Death Lion really smacked them.  
“Gwen found them barely conscious just outside Arthur’s chambers.” Gaius explained. “All they told her was ‘Evil.’ Not only that, but she also said that somebody broke Arthur’s door down overnight.”  
“Somebody or something.” Merlin said.  
“And now the king is missing,” finished Gaius. “Gwen seems to think that somebody’s kidnapped him.”  
“Come on, Gaius, you don’t really believe this nonsense, right?” asked Merlin. “Nobody’s kidnapped him. The Death Lion has escaped. It’s luring Arthur into a trap.”  
He turned on his heel and rushed out of Gaius’s chambers.  
Gaius would have followed him, but he had to treat his patients.

***

Merlin hurried to Arthur’s room, where he found Gwen sobbing next to his bed.  
“I just don’t understand,” she choked out. “Who would kidnap Arthur?”  
Merlin considered telling her about the Death Lion, but he wasn’t able to because Sir Leon, Sir Percival, Sir Gwaine, and Sir Elyan rushed into the room.  
Gwaine was the only knight who was still wearing his night clothes: a white shirt with some brown pants. He was also barefoot. Sword drawn, he asked, “I heard the king’s been kidnapped! Where’s the kidnapper?” He held the tip of his sword under Merlin’s nose.  
“How am I supposed to know?” Merlin asked. “He’s a kidnapper, not a partygoer! He didn’t celebrate kidnapping the king in the tavern.”  
“We can’t waste any time.” Sir Elyan said. “Knights, mount up!”  
Sir Percival grabbed Merlin and pulled him close. “You’re coming with us.”  
“I was planning to anyway.” Merlin stated.  
“I want to go too!” said Gwen.  
Sir Percival burst out laughing. “You’re kidding, right? It’s too dangerous for…!” However, he cut off.  
“For what?” asked Gwen. “For a girl? Arthur is my friend too!”  
The knights together glanced at Merlin for backup.  
He shrugged. “It’s true.”  
Now, the knights looked at Guinevere. They couldn’t convince her to not come. Therefore, they ended up letting her. This was to Gwen’s excitement.  
Lord Agravaine paid the knights, Merlin, and Gwen a visit while they were getting their horses ready. “Let me come too,” he begged. “I have a feeling I know where the kidnapper took the king. To the Perilous Lands.”  
“How can you be so sure, Agravaine?” Merlin asked.  
“A feeling,” was all Agravaine said.  
Even though Merlin was a bit hesitant about letting Agravaine join the search party, Sir Elyan told him, “We need all the help we can get, Merlin. This is the king we’re talking about.”  
“Fine.” Merlin said in between clenched teeth. He let Agravaine tag along.  
It wasn’t long until all the horses were tacked up and ready to go. One by one the knights, Guinevere, Merlin, and Lord Agravaine mounted. Merlin’s horse was a black stallion who had four white socks and a white mark on his forehead. His name was Dynard.  
While Merlin was adjusting his stirrups, Gaius came out of the castle to bid him farewell. “Merlin,” he whispered, “Remember what I told you yesterday. You can’t beat the Death Lion with wits alone. Also, keep an eye on Lord Agravaine. I don’t trust him.”  
“Believe me. Nor do I.” Merlin whispered back.  
“The Death Lion is powerful.” Gaius added. “Look out for your magic.”  
“I will.” Merlin said with a nod. “Thank you, Gaius.”  
Gaius smiled. Grabbing hold of Merlin’s hand, he gave it a gentle shake. “Be careful. Make sure you bring Arthur back and sound.”  
“I will. I promise.” Merlin said. He noticed that Gwen, the knights, and Lord Agravaine were already starting to trot out of the courtyard.  
“Off you go.” Gaius told his apprentice. He let Merlin’s hand go so he could grab the right rein.  
The young sorcerer kicked Dynard’s sides, yelling, “Hyah!”  
Dynard whinnied. He jumped into a trot, and Merlin posted with each beat.  
He waved goodbye to Gaius.  
Gaius waved back.  
Then, Merlin joined the others, unaware that Arthur had gone in the complete opposite direction of the Perilous Lands.

***

Arthur, who had been riding all night, was already way ahead of the search party. He made it to a deep, dark forest that had mountains in the distance. At the foot of the mountains and surrounded by the forest was a large, clear lake. It was one of the most beautiful lakes Arthur has ever seen. Just looking at it, he was drawn towards its sparkly, blue water. Arthur urged his horse down the hill they were standing on. Getting to the lake was quite a trek. They had to push through overgrown trees, vines, and bushes. Multiple time, Arthur had to draw his sword and cut away vines that were blocking the path. His horse, Sola, kept getting caught in them. Eventually, though, they made it to the lake. It was even more beautiful up close than it was on the hill. Arthur never realized how clear it was. He dismounted Sola and tied him up to a tree, which was next to a rock.  
The young king followed the voice in his head. It told him to approach the lake’s side. Arthur did. He hopped over a few stepping stones that were resting in a small stream and followed them to the main lake. Wow. This was such a beautiful place. The sight of the mountains in the background and the rays of the sun shining on the lake’s surface made it even more breathtaking. Just when Arthur thought things couldn’t get any better, he heard a woman singing. She had the voice of an angel. Arthur was mesmerized by it.  
Curious, he searched the lake. It sounded like the singing was coming from a line of rocks further from shore but in front of a cove. Arthur headed over to the cove. It was just as beautiful as the rest of the lake. Green trees and breathtaking flowers swayed in the breeze. The singing grew louder and louder until finally, Arthur saw her. A mermaid.  
She was literally the most beautiful thing he has ever seen in his entire life. She was sitting on a rock and was brushing out her long, golden-blonde hair. It went all the way down to her backside. She spotted a flower behind her right ear but no top. Her tail was grayish-orange. A few fins grew out from her hips and from the back of the tail itself. While she sang, she batted it on the water.  
Arthur did not feel like an enemy around her, but a friend. The Death Lion escaped from his mind. All he could think about now was this beautiful mermaid.  
The mermaid sensed he was behind her. Therefore, she stopped her song but continued to brush her hair.  
Arthur stumbled towards her, still under her spell. He sighed dreamily. It looked like he was half asleep.  
The mermaid pretended to be nervous around him. She stopped brushing her hair and just started to twist it around her fingers. When she opened her mouth to speak, this was what she said.  
“Welcome to the Lake of Peace.”


	7. Chapter 6 Long Live the King

“Seriously, Merlin? We’ve only been riding for ten minutes. I told you to go before we left.” Sir Elyan peeked over his shoulder to Merlin riding Dynard.  
The young sorcerer was shuffling very uncomfortably in his saddle. “Well, you haven’t been chugging cups of water in the past few days. It’s summertime! It’s hot!”  
Sir Elyan rolled his eyes. “Fine. We’ll take a ten-minute break, but only ten minutes.”  
“Thank you.” Merlin brought Dynard to a halt. He hopped off him and hurried into the woods.  
Sir Elyan, Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Sir Leon, and Gwen waited for him, but Agravaine snuck away. He had to run a little errand.  
He met Morgana deeper in the woods, under a cluster of shady trees. She was holding a new vile of the potion Arthur took in her hands.  
“Well?” she asked.  
“Everything’s going according to plan.” Agravaine whispered. “I’m leading the knights and servants to the Perilous Lands. When they get lost, they’re not going to know what hit them.”  
“I’m assuming Merlin’s with them?” Morgana questioned.  
“He is.” Agravaine said with a nod. “After all, he’s not going to leave his best friend all alone, right? What do you want me to do next?”  
In an evil voice, Morgana said, “We can’t let Merlin ruin our plan. Here.” She took the empty vile out of Agravaine’s hand and handed him the new one. “If the Death Lion possesses him too, then there is no hope Arthur will survive. They’ll both be lured to its den. I’m sure two meals are better than one. When Merlin’s not looking, pour the potion into his water pouch. Do you understand?”  
“Yes, My Lady.” Agravaine gave Morgana a quick bow. “I will not fail you.”  
“I know you won’t.” Morgana said with a smirk. “Now get back out there. The knights _need_ you.”  
Agravaine bowed again. He slipped the vile into his cape and left Morgana, rejoining the search party.

***

“Merlin, what’s taking you so long?” Elyan called into the woods where Merlin vanished.  
“You haven’t been chugging cups of water in the past few days!” Merlin shouted from behind some ferns. “I am King Arthur’s servant! I could use some time to myself!”  
Elyan took that the wrong way. As did Sir Leon, Sir Percival, and Sir Gwaine. They exchanged funny looks with one another. Guinevere merely smirked.  
While they were distracted, Agravaine tiptoed to Dynard. He pulled Merlin’s water pouch off the horse and unscrewed its top. Quickly and carefully, he poured the potion into it. Finally, finally he and Morgana were going to win. Merlin was going to be completely useless after today. There was absolutely no hope for Arthur. Once he was finished, Agravaine tucked the rest of the potion away. He screwed the water pouch’s cap and put it back where he found it. Then, he stepped away from the horse. Good thing too because Merlin came sauntering out from the woods.  
At the sight of him, Gwaine cheered. “Merlin! You’re not dead!”  
Merlin knew he was joking, but he still said, “Of course I’m not.” He and Gwaine shared a quick hug.  
Elyan rolled his eyes. “All right. All right. You two lovebirds have had your fun. Now let’s get moving.”  
Next to him, Guinevere chuckled. Her brother always had an interesting sense of humor. He was also always the boss.  
Agravaine carefully watched Merlin who came within reach of Dynard. Before everybody could mount, he asked, “How about we all have some water before we leave? We need to stay hydrated if we’re going to find Arthur.”  
“There’s no time.” Elyan said. “We’re not going to have a water break until we absolutely have to. Besides, Merlin has a fragile, little bladder. One sip of water, and we’ll have to stop every five minutes.”  
Agravaine forced a smile, even though he was screaming on the inside. “Of course, sir,” he said through clenched teeth. Frustrated, he climbed aboard his horse.  
Merlin noticed his unease. “Is everything all right, Agravaine?”  
“I’ve never been better,” he argued. He gave his horse a quick kick, and he jumped into a trot.  
Suspicious, Merlin trotted after him.

***

“The Lake of Peace?” King Arthur asked the mermaid.  
She nodded. “Yes. I’m Esmerelda. What’s your name?”  
Arthur bowed to her. “Arthur. King Arthur.”  
“Ooh, ‘King’ huh?” Esmerelda slipped off her rock so she could get closer to him. She swam to the lake’s edge, staring into Arthur’s blue eyes. “And where do you hail from, my love?”  
“Camelot.”  
“Camelot, huh? What’s it like there?”  
Arthur scoffed, still under the Death Lion’s spell. “Very loud. I’ve never seen a place so disgusting. Nobody washes, and everybody walks around with flies in their hair. I swear, I never want to see that place again.”  
“Why don’t you stay here with me?” Esmerelda asked. She reached her hand out to Arthur.  
He took it and fell to his knees in front of her. “I’d love too, but there’s somewhere I need to be.” His eyes glowed red, indicating that it wasn’t Arthur saying this, but the Death Lion.  
Esmerelda rubbed her thumb across the top of his hand. “Your hand is cold. Are you scared of me?”  
“How can I be scared of such a beautiful creature?” asked Arthur.  
“I can give you a wonderful home. You can be king of the Lake of Peace,” said Esmerelda. “That will help you take your mind off Camelot.”  
“Trust me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Arthur admitted.  
“Then why don’t you?” Esmerelda lifted her other hand. She gripped Arthur’s cheeks and pulled his head close to hers. Without warning, she kissed him. Her nails glowed up a light shade of blue. She was casting a spell of some sort.  
The siren and king kissed for a long time. When they let go, something strange happened. Arthur’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. Within seconds, he collapsed onto his front next Esmerelda.  
She picked up his hands, whispering under her breath. Like whenever Merlin casted a spell, her eyes glowed golden-yellow. She started to drag the unconscious Arthur into the lake. He didn’t stir. What did the mermaid do to him? It couldn’t be good whatever it was, right? After all, she was a siren. Well, only time would tell.

***

The knights, Guinevere, Merlin, and Agravaine rode until sunset. Tummies rumbling, they stopped to set up camp for the night and have some dinner. Well, Merlin and Gwen cooked. The others just sat around a roaring fire and waited.  
Gwaine pulled off his stinky boots and socks, causing Elyan to gag.  
“Do you ever wash your feet?” he asked his friend.  
“Only when I feel like it,” said Gwaine.  
“You’re disgusting.” Elyan admitted.  
Gwaine took that as a compliment. “Aw, thank you.”  
Elyan’s had enough Gwaine for one day. Therefore, he rose to his feet and headed over to Merlin and Gwen. “Do you guys need help with dinner?”  
“No, I think we’ve got it. Thanks, Elyan,” said Gwen. “Why don’t you get some water? You look thirsty.”  
Elyan smacked his lips together. Wow, he didn’t realize how dry they were. He stretched his arms over his head and approached a log. It was behind the fire and had everybody’s water pouches propped up in a line. Elyan couldn’t remember which one was his. All the pouches looked the same. He did a quick game of “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” and eventually set his mind on the water pouch that was at the very end of the log. Yum, water. Elyan picked up the water pouch and unscrewed its top.  
Right as he was bringing it to his lips, Agravaine got up from the fire. He was also a little bit thirsty. However, at the sight of Elyan, his entire face turned white. “Elyan!” he shouted.  
Too late. Elyan gulped down the water.  
“Who’s there?!” Sir Leon quickly asked.  
He, Gwaine, and Percival leaped up from where they were sitting.  
“What’s happened to Elyan?” Leon asked.  
Nothing. Elyan finished off the water pouch and dropped it to his side. He burped loudly.  
For a second, Agravaine didn’t know what to say. A thought came to mind, and he yelled, “Elyan just finished off that whole water pouch! Before he knows it, his bladder is going to be just as fragile as Merlin’s!”  
The knights sighed. Relaxing, they plopped back down on the ground.  
“You know what this means?” asked Gwaine.  
“What?” said Percival.  
Gwaine laughed. “Instead of stopping five time a day, we’re going to have to stop ten times!”  
“Hee, right.” Agravaine sarcastically spoke. He was obviously upset about something. “Speaking of which, I think I need to use the bathroom myself.”  
A look of suspicion flashed across Merlin’s face. Why was Agravaine so against Elyan drinking that water pouch? Something was out of place here. He tapped Gwen on the shoulder, saying, “I’ll be right back, Gwen.”  
“Where are you going?” she asked.  
Merlin said not a word. He just puffed out his cheeks and gave her a desperate look.  
“Oh.”  
Gwen laughed. “You never change, do you, Merlin?”  
“That’s why I’m Arthur’s servant.” Merlin joked. He gave Gwen’s shoulder a pat before he slipped into the forest after Lord Agravaine.  
Elyan tossed the water pouch onto the ground. He was a little unsteady on his feet. Despite this, he cracked a stupid grin and said, “Wow. That’s the best water I’ve ever had in my life. I feel terrific!” With these words, he stumbled back in the direction of the roaring fire. The water pouch remained on the ground. Only a few drops of water spilled out from it. There was nothing else. Uh oh.

***

Esmerelda dragged Arthur to the bottom of the Lake of Peace. Green weeds and grass swayed with the gentle current down here. The setting sun’s rays caused a whole sandy section of the lake to sparkle. That was where Esmerelda took Arthur. She pushed him into the sun’s rays and let him float with her.  
The young king was on his back with his arms held out to his sides.  
Esmerelda stayed out of the sunlight. The rays hit Arthur, causing his skin to sparkle just like the sand. Using a little bit of magic, Esmerelda took off his chainmail so he could float a bit easier. It was quite hard to stay in that position if someone was wearing twenty pounds of armor.  
During the phenomenon, a few more mermaids joined Esmerelda. Their hair colors ranged from blonde, black, brown, and auburn, but each mermaid had the same color tail as Esmerelda – orangish-gray.  
She nodded at her people.  
Together, the mermaids hooked hands. They flapped their tails and circled Arthur. Their eyes glowed up as they spoke an enchantment.  
 _“Fomeeah-dala-comeelah!”_  
“Long live the king!” Esmerelda shouted.  
“Long live the king!” the rest of the mermaids repeated after her.  
The sparkles on Arthur’s body glowed brighter and brighter, larger and larger, until finally…!

***

Merlin followed Lord Agravaine to a rushing stream in an open area of the woods. He kept a safe distance from him. He ducked behind trees, logs, and bushes. He ended up behind a large rock that was right at the line of the woods and the open area. Merlin held his breath.  
Morgana was waiting for Lord Agravaine. He was out of breath by the time he reached her. “I trust you bring good news, Agravaine?” she asked.  
Agravaine quickly lost his words. By the time he spoke, his voice was trembling. “Well, he-here’s the thing, My-My Lady. We have a bit of a dilemma.”  
“Agravaine?” Morgana did not like where this was going. She placed her hands on her hips, looking Agravaine straight in the eye.  
Agravaine let out a nervous chuckle. “Uh, well.” He rubbed his hands together. They were sweating just as much as him. “So-Somebody else drank the potion,” he explained. “And that someone is, well…Sir Elyan.”


	8. Chapter 7 Merlin and Kilgharrah

Merlin had a feeling Morgana was behind all this, and he was right. Agravaine was working for her, which was not good for his friends. He must have been the one who drugged Arthur the day of the Feast of Peace.  
Morgana was not pleased with Agravaine’s news. She even shouted at him. “You bumpkin! You were supposed to have Merlin drink it!”  
“I know! I know! I’m sorry, My Lady.” Agravaine slapped his hands together and begged for her forgiveness.  
Merlin was both shocked and entertained right now. Shocked because for once, Morgana was targeting him, but entertained because it was quite satisfying seeing Agravaine being yelled at.  
Morgana took a deep breath, calming down. “There’s no turning back now. We need to put Plan 2 into action. You are to continue with leading the search party to the Perilous Lands. Whatever you do, do _not_ take Elyan to the Lake of Peace.”  
Merlin listened carefully. The Lake of Peace? What was that?  
Agravaine had the same question. “What’s that, My Lady?”  
Morgana explained. “The Lake of Peace is a resting spot for any weary soldier. The mermaids who live there will help anyone who they suspect is under a spell. It lies west of here, just past the Northern Forest.”  
Mermaids? Merlin’s never seen one before. So, there was a way to free Arthur and Elyan from the Death Lion’s possession after all? This was rather interesting, but also alarming. Agravaine was leading the search party in what sounded like the complete opposite direction of Arthur. Merlin had to find a way to get the knights and Gwen to go with him rather than Lord Agravaine the next day. But how?  
Merlin returned to the campsite just before Agravaine. He couldn’t let him know that he eavesdropped on him and Morgana. His eyes landed on Sir Elyan.  
He was a mess. He stumbled up and down the campground, tripping on his own feet. Whatever that potion was, it was powerful.  
Guinevere caught her brother in her arms. She was obviously a little worried. “Elyan, what’s wrong?”  
“You have beautiful eyes.” Elyan said in a drunk-like voice.  
Gwaine was rather amused at the sight of him. He asked Gwen, “Oh, do you think he snuck some drinks into our water pouches? Now that’s what I call a true knight!” Turning on his heel, he rushed to the water pouches on the log.  
Gwen sat Elyan down on the ground, saying, “Elyan, maybe you should go to bed.”  
Still grinning stupidly, Elyan fell onto his back and started to make an angel out of a pile of leaves. He laughed while he did this.  
Sir Percival and Sir Leon stared. Why was Elyan acting so weird?  
Sir Gwaine chugged down his entire water pouch in one gulp. He waited for the buzz of alcohol, but felt nothing. “Where’s the beer?” he complained.  
Leon called to his friend. “Maybe Elyan drank it all! I mean, he is trying to make a snow angel in a pile of leaves.”  
Elyan rose to his knees. He picked up two handfuls of leaves and threw them into the sky, letting them rain down on him.  
It wasn’t long until Agravaine returned to the party. He froze when he saw Elyan. Deciding to speak, he tried to make it sound like he had no idea what was going on. “What’s with him?”  
Narrowing his eyebrows, Merlin crossed his arms. “Apparently, somebody poured some beer into one of the water pouches. You don’t happen to know who it may have been, right, Lord Agravaine?”  
“Why don’t you ask Gwaine?” Agravaine snapped. “He’s the one who’s crazy about the tavern.”  
Gwaine heard his remark. He nodded to show the others that Agravaine was right.  
Elyan snored like crazy that night. He sounded like Arthur when he fell asleep at the banquet hall. Leon, Percival, Gwaine, Agravaine, and Gwen were heavy sleepers, so it didn’t bother them. However, it bothered Merlin. Besides, he was already having a hard time falling asleep. He tried putting his hands over his ears, but that didn’t work. He also covered his head with his sleeping blanket, but this was to no avail as well. Finally, he just sat up. Merlin tried to come up with a plan on how he could redirect his friends from Lord Agravaine in the morning, but nothing came to mind. This was not something he could figure out himself. He needed help, and Merlin knew exactly who to ask.  
He double-checked to make sure everybody was asleep before he snuck away. He tiptoed towards a cluster of bushes but stepped on a large stick. It cracked under his weight.  
Agravaine shuffled in his sleep, but he didn’t wake.  
For now, Merlin was safe. He hurried through the forest in the direction of a meadow and yelled an enchantment. He was speaking in dragonlore. Merlin was summoning Kilgharrah.  
The meadow he ran to was just as beautiful as the Lake of Peace. It had tall grass and white flowers which danced in the warm nighttime air.  
Strange, even calling Kilgharrah wore the young sorcerer out. What was happening to his magic? He rubbed his forehead, waiting.  
Only a little bit later, a figure appeared in the sky. It was a large dragon. His skin was brown, and he had long, sharp claws. His wings were enormous. They flapped gracefully whenever Kilgharrah flew.  
Excited to see Merlin, the dragon plopped down in front of him at incredible speed. The impact caused the ground to shake. It knocked Merlin off his feet, and he fell onto his back.  
“Well, if it isn’t the young warlock.” Kilgharrah said to him. “How long has it been? Two weeks?”  
Merlin struggled to his feet. He held his arms out to his sides as he tried to keep balance. His face was slowly turning white again. Yet, he went ahead and said, “I need your help,” to Kilgharrah.  
Chuckling, Kilgharrah rolled his eyes. “Of course, you do. What is it you wish to know?”  
“Tell me about mermaids.” Merlin stated.  
“The mermaids are a sacred race.” Kilgharrah explained. “Their powers come from the Old Religion. They specialize in healing magic. If they suspect somebody is enchanted, they’ll help them. While they can’t completely get rid of a spell, they can ease their effects. This allows the victim more time to break it before they succumb. Why do you ask?”  
“Arthur.” Merlin said. “I think he’s gone to see them. He’s been possessed by the Death Lion, but not all of him is gone. Why else would he go to the Lake of Peace?”  
“Ah, so you know where the mermaids live?” asked Kilgharrah.  
Merlin nodded.  
Kilgharrah continued. “Arthur is a strong lad. He’s fighting the spell just as much as you are fighting the Death Lion’s toll on you.”  
“So, you know it’s stripping me of my magic?” Merlin wanted to know.  
“Yes, young warlock. I see everything that is happening to you. If you wish to see Arthur again, then you must travel to the Lake of Peace.”  
“I know that, but how am I supposed to pry Gwen and the knights away from Agravaine tomorrow?” Merlin said. “He’s trying to take us to the Perilous Lands, in the complete opposite direction of Arthur.”  
At this sentence, Kilgharrah leaned in close to Merlin’s pale face. “That is something you must figure out yourself,” he told him.  
“What are you talking about?” Merlin was obviously a little frustrated. “I came here asking for your help, and what do I get? Another vague response.”  
“Because this is not _my_ problem.” Kilgharrah admitted. “This is yours and Arthur’s. If you wish to defeat the Death Lion, then you must use magic.”  
“Magic? But Gaius said magic can’t defeat it!” For a second, Merlin wondered if Kilgharrah himself had had a sip of the potion.  
The dragon was still vague. That was typical for Kilgharrah. He said, “This is a different type of magic I’m talking about, young warlock. It’s not the magic you’re used to.” He flapped his wings, starting to lift back into the sky.  
Merlin called after him. “Wait! Why can I never get a simple response from you? Why do you always talk in riddles?”  
Kilgharrah momentarily turned around so he could look at him. “Magic will be needed in order to reach the Lake of Peace. Don’t forget that you’re Arthur’s best friend, and the knights and servant girl know this. Beware, though. Mermaids do not have a good reputation in the legends. You have to convince your friends that they are not evil.”  
“Oh, great.” Merlin mumbled under his breath. He watched as Kilgharrah vanished into the nighttime air. The meadow was silent once again.  
Merlin collapsed to his knees between some wildflowers. He tried to make sense of everything Kilgharrah told him. Gaius clearly said that magic could not defeat a Death Lion, yet Kilgharrah said it could. What was this “different” type of magic he mentioned? It was true that Merlin was Arthur’s best friend, and the knights and Gwen _did_ know this. Wait a minute. Something came to mind. What if Merlin, Arthur’s best friend, was kidnapped by a sorcerer? Without him, the knights had no hope finding and saving Arthur. Agravaine would lure everybody to the Perilous Lands, and all would be lost. Yet, if a sorcerer was involved, then that would get the knights thinking that he was the one who kidnapped Arthur, since he kept magic banned from Camelot, a trait he shared with Uther. Perhaps the sorcerer wanted revenge? What if he was an old friend called Dragoon the Great?  
Merlin smirked. He had a plan, and he couldn’t wait to put it in action.

***

The Lake of Peace was silent tonight. Only a few frogs and toads croaked. The water looked like glass, but a few ripples appeared under it. A head poked out of the water. It was Esmerelda. She held King Arthur, who was still unconscious, in her arms. The mermaid flapped her tail, swimming towards the lakebed. She reached it in the nick of time and hauled herself out of the water. She dragged Arthur with her.  
Esmerelda was sitting on a small but charming beach. The sand was soft and warm to the touch, and the scenery here was absolutely fantastic. There were the mountains, and billions of stars lit up the nighttime sky. It was a full moon, which meant that the time had come. The Lake of Peace’s elder told Esmerelda the other day that this full moon would tell her what her destiny was. She had to protect King Arthur from the Death Lion, but to do that, she could not be a mermaid.  
Esmerelda gently set Arthur down in the sand. Sighing, she moved her eyes up to the full moon and lifted her hands. She positioned them in a cup-like formation so it looked like she was holding the moon itself. Her eyes glowed up, and she whispered a spell. _“Pelsana serum coliga maikea.”_ In a mere two minutes, her tail faded away. In their place was a set of human legs.  
While Esmerelda examined them, Arthur slept soundly. He did not look drunk or mad. He looked peaceful.  
Esmerelda glanced at him. Wow, just looking at him up closely, she realized how handsome he was. She definitely wouldn’t mind helping him. A pinch of excitement whipped through her body. This was it. It was time for the siren to join the war against the Death Lion.


	9. Chapter 8 All Hail the Death Lion!

The morning sun shone through the forest’s treetops and landed on the search party’s camp. Whew. Today was going to be a hot one.  
Leon was the first one to wake up. He opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing sleep from them. He searched the campground to make sure nobody had been carried off by a wolf during the night. His face grayed when he didn’t see Merlin. “Merlin!”  
His yell woke up everybody else: Gwen, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, and Agravaine.  
Elyan glared at Leon and yelled, “What have you done to him?” The Death Lion part of the potion was starting to take effect.  
Leon glanced at Elyan and said, “Nothing! He’s missing!”  
“Tell the truth!” Elyan leaped to his feet. He pulled his sword out of the ground and charged for Leon.  
“Elyan, stop!” Gwen shrieked. She grabbed her brother, but he fought her. He gave Leon the evil death glare.  
Oh, gosh. Agravaine thought to himself. This was a disaster. Merlin was the one supposed to be possessed by the Death Lion! Not Elyan!  
Elyan kept on fighting Gwen.  
She was given no other choice. She reached down next to the fire and picked up a shield, whacking it across her brother’s head.  
Elyan collapsed onto his front, knocked out cold.  
Gwen peered down on him, shivering. “Sorry, Elyan. You’re welcome, Leon. I just saved your life.”  
Gwaine and Percival snorted. That must have been embarrassing for Leon, getting saved by a girl.  
Before the search party could discuss what happened to Elyan overnight and where Merlin was, they heard a crack in the woods. The remaining knights wasted no time to pick up their swords. They pointed them in the direction where the crack came from.  
A few minutes passed, and then a figure stumbled out of the forest. It was an old man who had a long, white beard. He wore a red cloak.  
At the sight of the search party, he chuckled and said, “Ah, if it isn’t the stepping stones of Camelot.”  
“You!” Leon lowered his sword.  
The old man was Dragoon the Great, or Merlin in disguise. This was his plan to drag the search party to the Lake of Peace. “Have you come to kill me?” Dragoon asked.  
“We most certainly would like to!” Gwaine said.  
Dragoon snickered. “Well, you can’t!”  
“And why is that?” Gwaine wanted to know.  
“Because how else will you find that stubby lad Merlin?”  
Dragoon’s words caused the whole search party to freeze, including Agravaine. What was going on here?  
Gwaine kept his sword up, but he asked Dragoon, “You know where Merlin is?”  
Again, Dragoon snickered. “Ack! I never realize what a fool you are, Gwaine! I took your lad to the Lake of Peace overnight!”  
“You kidnapped him?” Gwen asked.  
Laughing, Dragoon said, “It was easy, lass.” He leaned down and picked up a stick to help illustrate his story. “I waited until the moon was hidden behind the trees. Then I struck! I grabbed that lad, put my hand over his mouth, and took him away! I’ve never felt such success in my life!” Dragoon lifted his stick over his head, but he cringed when his back cracked. “Ack! My back!”  
“And why are you telling us this?” said Percival. “A proper kidnapper would go into hiding. He wouldn’t come right up and say he was the one who did it.”  
“I thought that maybe you wanted to take your friend to the Lake of Peace, where he can be healed.” Here, Dragoon pointed his stick at Elyan who was starting to come to. Guinevere quickly smacked him across the head again with the shield.  
Agravaine tried to intervene. “This scrawny, old man has no idea what he’s talking about! I’m sure Merlin went on ahead.”  
Leon pointed his thumb at Dynard who was still tied up to a tree with the rest of the horses. “But Dynard’s here. It’s not like Merlin to go on ahead without us. He’s always on Arthur’s tail. Maybe we should listen to this brute.”  
“And why should we?” asked Agravaine. “He’s a sorcerer! You know he can’t be trusted!”  
Percival held up his hands to stop all the arguing. “Quiet, you nincompoops!” He focused his attention on Gwen who was still standing over Elyan’s motionless body. “I think we should let Gwen decide. After all, we won’t be able to find Arthur without Merlin and Elyan.”  
Oh, gosh. Gwen hated being put on the spot. Then again, what if Dragoon really did know where Merlin was and how to heal Elyan? She knew Elyan was under the Death Lion’s spell. Merlin told her yesterday. Taking a deep breath, she said to Dragoon, “You didn’t really kidnap Merlin last night, did you? He came to you looking for help on how to free Elyan from the curse, right?”  
Snap! This was a slight change of plans. Dragoon momentarily broke character, but then he yelled, “Exactly!”  
“Curse? What are you talking about, Gwen?” Leon asked Gwen.  
“My brother has been possessed by the Death Lion.” Gwen explained. “Somebody snuck the potion that changed Arthur into one of our water pouches yesterday.”  
“Exactly!” Dragoon yelled again.  
“So, are you saying that there’s a traitor in our vicinity?” Leon said to Gwen.  
“Possibly.” Gwen momentarily looked at Agravaine out the corners of her eyes. “Merlin must have known this, so he sought out Dragoon to help us.” She took a step closer to Dragoon, staring into his eyes. Hm, was it just her, or did those eyes look a little familiar? She nodded at him. “Take us to the Lake of Peace.”

***

“Up! Up! Up!” Dragoon yelled at Percival and Gwaine. He needed their help to hoist him up onto Dynard. It was much harder to get on a horse as an old man rather than a young one.  
Percival and Gwaine puffed out their cheeks. They were struggling quite a bit to lift Dragoon.  
“You call this a knight boost?” Old Merlin asked. “Up! Up!” Finally, the knights managed to get him on the horse.  
Together, they fell onto their backsides and rubbed sweat from their foreheads.  
“Ah ha ha! Thank you, gentleman!” Dragoon joked. “But you could use a few more training sessions.”  
Agravaine tried to turn the search party around. “I must protest!” he yelped.  
“You will do no such thing!” Dragoon snapped. “After all, I’m the only one who can get us to the lake! Hyah!” He kicked Dynard’s sides, but the horse didn’t move. He merely snuffed and looked to the left. Dragoon tried again. “Hyah!” Dynard still refused to move.  
While Dragoon tried to think, Gwaine and Percival got off each other. They exchanged suspicious looks. Was there really a traitor in the midst? If so, who was it?  
“You good, Percival?” Gwaine sarcastically asked Percival.  
“Oh, terrific,” he snarled.  
“Oh, boy!” Dragoon shouted. Right when he yelled that, Dynard took off.  
“Hey! Wait for us!” shouted the knights. Leon helped the unconscious Elyan onto his horse. He quickly climbed aboard his own and ordered for both his and Elyan’s horse to follow Dragoon.

***

Agravaine was so frustrated right now. At first, he didn’t join the search party. He brought the news to Morgana and asked her what the best course of action was to take.  
“It’s simple,” she told him. “You kill the mermaids.”  
“How am I supposed to do that?” asked Agravaine. “That no-good sorcerer is with them! He won’t let them die!”  
Morgana remained calm. “Are you forgetting something, Agravaine?”  
“No, I don’t think so.”  
Morgana glared. “I knew it,” she said in a sarcastic voice. “You’re nothing but a big, fat bumpkin. When will you get it into your thick skull that we have a Death Lion on our side?”  
Oh. Agravaine felt stupid. He slapped his forehead, letting Morgana’s words sink in.  
“And Death Lions feed on magic, right?” she added.  
Ooh! Agravaine saw where this was going. He and Morgana shared an evil look at one another. Agravaine may have screwed up the potion, but it was true. He and Morgana still had the Death Lion.

***

Agravaine caught up with the others a short while later. When they asked where he had been, he merely replied, “I was peeing.”  
Laughing, Gwaine said, “Oh, I knew it! Instead of stopping five times a day, we’re going to stop ten times! Ha! Ha! Get it, Percival? Because Merlin had to use the bathroom merely ten minutes after we left Camelot yesterday?”  
Percival rolled his eyes. Was it too early to have had enough Gwaine for one day?  
The search party was actually closer to the lake than they thought. They reached it in merely three hours, but by then, Merlin was really struggling to keep up the Dragoon act. His magic. He felt his magic fading from him.  
Gwen, who was riding next to him, asked, “Are you okay, Dragoon?”  
“Ah, never better!” Dragoon forced a smile. “Except this dawg gone horse is as slow as me! Giddy up!”  
Dynard didn’t listen to him. He only listened to Merlin. Merlin never dug his heels in his sides.  
Agravaine, who was riding behind the sorcerer, smirked. Something moved in the forest’s bushes behind him. The search party was nearing the hill Arthur stopped at before he rode down to the lake.  
However, Gwaine sensed that they were being followed, and he stopped everybody. “Is it just me, or does it feel like something is following us?”  
“It’s just Agravaine.” Gwen said. Nevertheless, she too was starting to get an uneasy feeling.  
Old Merlin fell forward on Dynard. He glanced at his hands and gasped. They were starting to revert to their youthful self again. “No,” he begged under his breath.  
“Let’s move.” Gwaine ordered. His horse jumped into a trot.  
Gwen, Percival, Leon, Agravaine, and Elyan’s horse followed. Gwen, though, noticed that Dragoon the Great had stopped Dynard. He hopped off him, tying him up to a tree.  
“What are you doing?” Gwen asked.  
“Oh, uh.” Old Merlin thought fast. “Peeing.”  
“Now?! Are you serious?”  
“Hey! When you’re old and rusty, you’ll know how I feel!”  
Gwen sighed. After a moment of silence, she said, “Fine, but make it quick. Be careful. We’ll meet you at the Lake of Peace.”  
“Sounds like a plan!” Dragoon gave Gwen a quick nod. He held his hands behind his back so she wouldn’t see them turning back into Merlin’s.  
After Gwen rejoined the search party, he dove behind a cluster of bushes. Once both legs were behind it, he turned back into young Merlin. Exhausted, he collapsed onto his front. Merlin wanted to sleep, but he couldn’t. The growling was drawing closer and closer, and he had a feeling he knew what it was. Why else did he feel so drained of magic? Merlin was at the top of a hill that stretched down to the Lake of Peace. He could see its sparkling water through the trees. He struggled to his knees. Peering up to the treetops, Merlin repeated the aging enchantment to himself. Nothing happened. His eyes did not glow. Merlin gave it another go, but he still wasn’t able to transform. He held his breath when he noticed that the growling was right next to him.  
Merlin did not move a muscle. He stayed quiet. After a bit, the growling stopped. Did the creature leave? Merlin wasn’t sure, so he double-checked. He looked out from the bush’s left side. Nothing. The forest looked empty. Was the coast clear? Merlin started to think so, but then he looked past the bush’s right. The first thing he saw was an enormous creature that had a lion face, red eyes, and a pair of antlers that grew out from behind its ears. It just stared at the young sorcerer. He stared back.  
Merlin’s entire body broke down in sweat. He didn’t even blink. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was trembling just as much as him. “Hey. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”  
ROAR! The Death Lion roared in his face. Spit spewed out all over Merlin. Even though he was screaming on the inside, he lifted his finger and held it up to the monster’s face. He picked up a huge stick resting next to him and stuck it vertically in its mouth. Then, he took off at a full sprint.  
The Death Lion was furious. It broke the stick and stomped the ground with its powerful, front two legs. Merlin flew forward with the impact and crashed down on his front. Quickly getting up, he yelled spells, but none of them worked. He was completely powerless. Therefore, he had no choice. He kept on running. Except, his foot ended up crashing into an unexpected hole, and he fell again. Merlin cringed with pain. He grabbed his leg with both hands, starting to pull on it, but he was not able to free it. The Death Lion crouched down and crawled towards him. It threatened Merlin with its razor-sharp fangs. Before he knew it, the monster was standing directly over him. Death Lion drool splashed onto Merlin’s head. He covered his face with his hands. For once in his life, Merlin was afraid of death. The Death Lion was a monster like no other monster. If someone saw one, death was guaranteed. Even if that someone involved Emrys, the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the planet. At least, that was the thought running through Merlin’s mind.  
He waited to die. That was all he could do.  
However, just when he thought all was lost, a voice suddenly yelled, “Merlin!” off to the side. Somebody threw a sword out from behind some trees, and it stabbed the Death Lion in the side, but it did not kill it. The “different magic” Kilgharrah spoke of was not yet ready for battle. The surprise attack succeeded with scaring the creature off. It pulled the sword free from its wound. Gushing blood, it left Merlin. He may have won this time, but next time was going to have a different outlook.  
Merlin quickly turned his head towards the cluster of trees the sword came from. His eyes widened, and a grin stretched across his face. Standing in front of the trees was none other than…Arthur Pendragon!


	10. Chapter 9 Elushia Amisha

“Arthur!” Merlin took his hands away from his stuck leg.  
He nodded at him. “Merlin.”  
“For once, you saved me.”  
Arthur rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Merlin? I’ve saved your life before.” He crouched down next to Merlin, grabbing his leg. With a quick tug, he freed him.  
“Really?” Merlin asked. “How about you name a time when you saved me?”  
Arthur had to think about this for a moment. Picking up his sword, he stabbed the ground with it. “Oh, I don’t know. What about the time when I asked Lancelot to take you back to Camelot after the Dorocha attacked you? And what about all the times I’ve had to free you from jail?”  
“That still doesn’t compare to me.” Merlin whispered under his breath.  
Arthur gave him a funny look. “Excuse me? I thought you’d be glad to see me.”  
“Oh, I would be.” Merlin sarcastically said. “But last time I did, you embarrassed the whole of Camelot at the Feast of Peace. Also, Gwaine still hasn’t gotten over the fact that you almost killed him.”  
“I was under a spell!” Arthur argued.  
“And how can you be sure of that?” said Merlin.  
Arthur pulled his sword out of the ground. He came within reach of Merlin. With his head, he gestured for him to follow him. “Follow me. There’s somebody I want you to meet.”

***

The search party was waiting for the two boys at the beach Esmerelda took Arthur to overnight. At the sight of him, Guinevere literally started to cry. “Arthur!” She picked up her dress and hurried to him, pulling him into a hug.  
Agravaine and Merlin rolled their eyes.  
Gwen took her arms away from Arthur and next focused her attention on Merlin. “Merlin! There you are!” Now she hugged Merlin.  
It was Arthur’s turn to roll his eyes.  
Merlin smiled at Gwen, but he didn’t smile at Arthur nor Agravaine. He hugged Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, and Sir Leon before his eyes landed on Sir Elyan. The knights had gotten some rope from their saddlebags and tied him up against a tree. They also took away all his weapons.  
He glared at Arthur who pointed at him and asked, “What’s with him?”  
Gwen tried to keep herself together, but it was difficult. “The Death Lion. He’s possessed him.” Her eyes landed on Merlin. “Merlin, where’s Dragoon?”  
Merlin cringed. “Dra-Dragoon?”  
Gwen used both her hands to rub tears from her eyes. “Yes. He said that you were looking for a sorcerer to help us. Apparently, there’s something at this lake that can break spells.”  
Merlin opened his mouth to speak, but Arthur beat him to it. “Dragoon? You mean the good for nothing sorcerer who tried to save my father?”  
Merlin took slight offense to that. “He was just trying to help,” he growled.  
“Yeah, and look where it got him!” Arthur said. “How could you trust a man like that, Merlin? I knew you were an idiot, but this?! I thought you were better.”  
Merlin attempted to punch him, but Arthur grabbed his wrist.  
Gwen looked back and forth between the boys. Why were they acting so mean towards each other? This wasn’t like them at all.  
Merlin released his wrist from Arthur’s grip. There was no way he could beat him in a fight. Not without magic.  
Glancing at Gwen, he explained, “The sorcerer said that there’s a being here who can loosen the effects of spells. He took off when he said that you guys were here, and told me to meet you. Like Arthur said, I’m an idiot, so I listened to him.”  
“You’re not an idiot. It’s true,” a sudden voice said from off to the side.  
Everybody jumped. Sir Percival, Sir Gwaine, Sir Leon, and Arthur drew their swords, but they lowered them when Esmerelda stepped out from behind a bush. She was wearing a leaf skirt that she made overnight and a flower in her hair. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Percival, Leon, Gwaine, Agravaine, and Elyan stared at her.  
Arthur, though, recognized her. “My Lady.”  
Esmerelda nodded shyly. She bowed to the king. “Your Highness.”  
Merlin glanced from her to the knights and Lord Agravaine. All of them had stupid smiles on their faces.  
“You’re so incredibly beautiful.” Gwaine said.  
“My name is Esmerelda. I can help your friend.” Esmerelda stated. With that, she started towards Elyan.  
Merlin whispered into Arthur’s ear. “Do you know her?”  
“Of course, I do,” said Arthur. “She saved me.”  
Merlin recalled what Kilgharrah told him. The mermaids specialized in healing magic. Did this mean Esmerelda was a mermaid? If so, where was her tail?  
The closer she came to Elyan, the more mysterious she became. She lifted her hands, starting to hum a song.  
“What are you doing?” Guinevere asked in a frightened voice. She tried to run to her brother, but Merlin grabbed her.  
“I think we can trust her,” he whispered.  
Percival, Gwaine, Leon, and Agravaine followed Esmerelda to Elyan. She asked them to untie his rope. They followed through with her request and released him.  
An eerie presence hit Merlin’s head. The Death Lion. It was coming back. “Not good,” he told himself. He couldn’t let the Death Lion kill Esmerelda, not if she could help them. He had to lead it away from the search party. Merlin was willing to sacrifice his magic to save this beautiful siren. He grabbed Arthur’s shoulder, saying, “Come on.”  
“Where are we going?” Arthur wanted to know.  
Merlin cut off. He tried to think. Finally, he said, “We need to let Esmerelda work.”

***

“So, let me get this straight. You know Esmerelda is a mermaid?” King Arthur asked Merlin a little bit later.  
“Unfortunately, yes,” was his reply. “But she’s in danger. The Death Lion feeds on magic. We need to lure it away from her.” He and Arthur were walking alongside the lake bed. It was covered in rocks, so they had to be careful. Flinching, Merlin stopped walking. He ran his fingers down the length of his leg. He must have hurt his ankle a little bit when it crashed into the hole.  
Arthur noticed his distress. He groaned, asking, “What is it now?”  
“I think I twisted my ankle a little bit,” said Merlin. “Just let me rest for five minutes.” He pointed across the rocky lake bed to a wooden boat that was resting on a small beach. “Meet me at that boat.” Why there was a boat in the middle of nowhere, he had no idea.  
Arthur did not appreciate Merlin giving him an order. “I am the King of Camelot! I do not need to be bossed around by a simple servant!”  
Merlin asked him, “Do you want to get eaten by the Death Lion, or would you rather me?”  
Arthur instantly changed his mind. “I’ll meet you at the beach. That’s as if you don’t get eaten on the way.” He laughed at his own joke, starting back over the rocks.  
Once he was no longer in Merlin’s presence, Merlin checked behind him to the forest. Nodding slowly, he whispered an enchantment. _“Elushia amisha.”_ He actually managed to pull off the spell. Merlin’s eyes glowed up. At his command, the forest’s trees pulled apart to create a path. He could sense the Death Lion. Merlin was succeeding with leading it away from Esmerelda and the search party. He wasn’t sure how much time he and Arthur had before it attacked, but hopefully it was enough to come up with a plan.

***

“Still the same old Merlin. You sure know how to make a king wait.” Arthur said when Merlin made it to the beach. “I trust your ankle is feeling better?”  
“It is.” Merlin replied. “I also wanted to make sure the Death Lion’s following us.”  
“And is it?”  
“Yes.”  
Arthur continued to tease his friend. “So, who do you think the Death Lion is going to eat first? You or me? I’m sure scrawny servant is its favorite meal.”  
Merlin wasn’t paying attention to him. Somehow, he had been mesmerized by the boat sitting on the beach. He could feel incredible magic surrounding it – Death Lion magic. Arthur was also mesmerized. He lost his smile, and together, he and Merlin just stared at the boat. Merely looking at it, they suddenly turned extremely hostile towards each other. The Death Lion was in their heads.  
“I am so sick of you, Arthur!” Merlin shouted at Arthur. “Your jokes are boring, I always have to save you, and you treat me like I’m nobody!”  
Arthur fought back. “Well, that’s who you are! A nobody! Why shouldn’t I let the Death Lion kill you first?” He pointed his sword at Merlin.  
“Because you’re totally useless without me!” Merlin said in a frustrated voice.  
“Then I was right! I really do have the worst servant in the world!”  
The Death Lion made it to the beach. It leaped out of the forest, growling. It was ready for attack, but it relaxed at the sight of Merlin and Arthur.  
They were too busy arguing to notice the fused beast next to them.  
Merlin asked Arthur, “Why is it that whenever you need to go out, you take me along? Don’t you have a whole Knights of the Round Table to help you?”  
“Trust me. I never want to drag you along, but I’m forced to because, because –” Arthur stumbled on his words.  
“Because you’re a clotpole!” Merlin snapped.  
Wow. They were such easy targets. The Death Lion was smarter than it looked. It wasn’t planning on killing the siren with King Arthur and Merlin in the mix. It had them right where it wanted them. The monster’s eyes glowed up. It used psychic magic to drag the stranded boat up to the two boys. Totally oblivious and still arguing, they stepped into it and sat down.  
“You should have seen yourself the other night! It was disgusting!” Merlin snapped. “What king in their right mind puts their stinky boots on the banquet table?! You embarrassed all of Camelot!”  
Arthur always managed to find an excuse. “Because I am the king! I can do whatever I want!”  
“Gross! Why am I even friends with you?”  
“Who said we were friends?!”  
The Death Lion used its magic to push the boat into the clear lake water. It waved goodbye with its antlers.  
A few mermaids who were sunbathing on some rocks cringed when they heard all the arguing. They slapped their hands over their ears, diving underwater.  
Merlin and Arthur were slowly floating out towards the lake’s heart, in the direction of the mountains. They kept blabbering away.  
Arthur said to Merlin, “Oh, do you want me to start calling you dollop head and clotpole? How about simpleton? I think that fits you best!”  
“Why you little prat!” Merlin sprung his hands forward. He grabbed Arthur’s wrists and tried to knock him off the side of the boat.  
The Death Lion wanted to stay for the rest of the show (this was incredibly amusing), but it couldn’t. It had to please its master. If someone was going to die first, it was going to be the siren. Without her, Arthur would never recover from its curse. It shook out its head of mane and trotted back into the forest.  
Merlin and Arthur kept on wrestling in the boat. It wasn’t until the center of the lake that they realized they had been pulled into a trap.  
The spell left their heads. Both boys shook them out. Their eyes widened when they saw they were nowhere near land. There were no paddles in the boat. It was way too far to swim back to shore. They were stranded in the Lake of Peace.  
Arthur called to Merlin. “What are we doing out here?!”  
Merlin rubbed his head. Even he had no idea what was going on. “I have no idea.” The last thing he remembered was opening the path for the Death Lion and meeting Arthur on the beach. He let the realization sink in that they had been tricked and got the message across to Arthur. “The Death Lion tricked us!”  
“Do what?! Well, don’t just sit there! Get us back to shore!”  
“How am I supposed to do that?” asked Merlin. “Do you see any paddles?”  
“I don’t know! Call the mermaids!”  
“I don’t know how to call mermaids!”  
“Here! I’ll help you!” Arthur stormed to Merlin. Grabbing his shoulder, he threw him right off the side of the boat. Splash!  
Merlin hurried to surface. Gasping for air, he grabbed hold of its side and gave Arthur a sarcastic look. “Very funny, sire.”


	11. Chapter 10 The Faerie Swords

The search party and Esmerelda were unaware that the Death Lion was coming. Esmerelda was too busy helping Elyan. She kissed him in order to get him to fall asleep, before she laid him down on his back and held her hands over him. Guinevere watched with a curious look on her face, while the knights and Lord Agravaine just drooled over the mermaid.  
 _“Fomeeah-dala-comeelah!”_ Esmerelda announced. A gentle, white and yellow light appeared in her palms. She moved them across Elyan, saying to Gwen, “Your brother should be fine in the next few hours. We just need to let him rest.”  
“Thank you.” Gwen said. She smiled at the mermaid, and she smiled back.  
Esmerelda's eyes moved over to where Merlin and Arthur used to be. “Now we just have to hope that the boys will make it back soon.”

***

Arthur pulled Merlin back into the boat. The young sorcerer was wiped out. Then again, he was in a boat that was surrounded by the Death Lion's magic. Arthur tried to come up with a plan to get them out of this situation, but Merlin ended up falling asleep. He rested on his back and placed his hand over his tummy.  
A little while later, Arthur noticed that the boat was inching towards a foggy area of the lake. They were nearing the mountains. Directly in front of the boat was a cave, as well as the other side of the lake.  
Seeing it, Arthur tensed up. Normally, he would jump with joy seeing land, but this was different. This section of the Lake of Peace felt very eerie. Yet, it called him.  
The boat did not drift off course. No doubt about it, it was taking the boys to the cave.  
Arthur scurried over to Merlin. He shook his shoulder, saying, “Merlin. Merlin, wake up.”  
Merlin didn't. He didn't even move.  
“Merlin!” Arthur let out a low sigh. He cupped his hands together and picked up a handful of lake water. Arthur splashed it on Merlin's face.  
That woke him up. Merlin yelped and quickly asked, “What's happened?”  
“It's not a matter of what's happened. It's a matter of where we are.” Arthur told him.  
Finally, Merlin saw the area they were in. “What is this place?” he said. His eyes had landed on the cave.  
“You feel it too?” said Arthur. “The cave is calling us.”  
The boat drifted into the mouth of the cave. Inside it was a small lake that was circular, and a ring of torches hung from the cave's walls.  
Merlin and Arthur shivered. It was so much colder in here than outside. They could see their breath.  
The boat bumped into the lake bed, right under two torches.  
Placing his hand on his sword hilt, Arthur hopped out. He surveyed the area from top to bottom. “Come on, Merlin!” he ordered.  
Merlin struggled to get out of the boat. The Death Lion. He could feel it stripping him powerless. It was times like this that he was glad Arthur didn't have magic.  
Arthur peeked over his shoulder to him. “Merlin, what's wrong with you?” He put his sword up and clamped his hands under Merlin's armpits. Arthur dragged him out of the boat. He let him go, but Merlin instantly collapsed onto his front.  
He wrapped his arms around his body as an attempt to stay warm.  
Slightly concerned, Arthur asked, “Are you feeling alright?”  
“Ne-Never better.” Merlin stuttered. He forced himself to his knees. “Where are we?”  
“It doesn't matter. As long as we're on dry land.” Arthur kneeled to his servant and asked him, “You know what I'm going to ask you next, right?”  
“Go collect firewood, even though we are clearly in a cave?” Merlin guessed.  
Arthur smiled at him. “Well, it's nice to know that you're still daft and dumb. We should go exploring! Maybe, just maybe we'll be lucky!”  
Merlin sarcastically chuckled. “I don't think that's such a great idea. You don't know what's in there.” Although, he had to admit, he was just as curious as Arthur. A feeling of some sort told him that they needed to explore the cave. Why? Merlin may never know.  
Arthur gave his shoulder a pat. “There we go. Now, I need you to grab a torch and lead the way.”  
“Yes, sire.” Merlin rolled his eyes. He rose to his shaky feet and pulled a torch off from the wall. He gave Arthur a quick nod.  
The king merely gestured for him to take the first step into the creepy tunnel where the torch used to be. At the same time, he adjusted his gloves on his hands. “Come on, Merlin! We don't have all day!”  
Merlin shot him an angry look. Nevertheless, he went ahead and took the first step into the tunnel. It reminded him of the dungeons under the palace at Camelot.  
The tunnel was dark, cold, and spooky. It was covered in cobwebs.  
Merlin led the way, with Arthur following him. He yelped when he walked through a handful of cobwebs.  
Arthur passed him. He stopped briefly, bopping him on the head. “Once an idiot, always an idiot,” he said.  
Merlin gave him a fake smile. He peered down on the cobwebs wrapped around his body and pulled them off. However, when he looked back up, he could no longer see Arthur. “Arthur?”  
No answer.  
“Arthur? Now's not the time to be cracking your dumb jokes.” Sure enough, Arthur was no longer in the tunnel. He just vanished into midair.  
“Arthur!” Merlin called for the third time. He found a place to put the torch. It was right next to a wall that had some hieroglyphics on it. Curious, Merlin put his hand on them. The second he did, something weird happened very fast. The wall flipped, and it took Merlin with it! “Hey!” he yelled.  
The wall tossed Merlin onto a rock slide in a large, dark area of the cave. He landed on his front and started to slide down it. Merlin’s eyes widened. There were times when he thought he would slide right off the slide, but he never did. He just slid, slid, slid deeper and deeper underground. A cauldron of bats flew over his head, and he ducked under them. One bat crashed into his face, so Merlin had to pull it off.  
The slide took Merlin straight to a hole in one of the deepest sections of the cave. He fell through it and ended up crashing into a pile of bones. The room he was in was dark, smelly, and full of skeletons. There were only a few torches. Half of Merlin’s body became stuck in between some skeletal arms, ribs, and legs. Clenching his teeth, he tried to free himself, but he couldn’t. Skeletal hands held his arms down. Merlin shivered. He prepared to use a levitation spell, but before he could, he suddenly heard, “Merlin!”  
Arthur. Arthur was also in the room. Sword drawn, he climbed up and over bones to reach his friend. “There you are!”  
Just seeing him, Merlin sighed a breath of relief. At least he wasn’t alone. Arthur must have also fallen for the hieroglyphic trap. Merlin cracked a small smile and told him, “For once, I am actually glad to see you, Arthur.”  
“I wish I could say the same.” Arthur joked. He stabbed his sword into a pile of skeletal arms and ribs and approached Merlin. “Are you comfortable in there, Merlin?”  
“Not really.” Merlin replied. “Let me guess, you also fell for the hieroglyphics?”  
Arthur blushed. “Let’s just say I knew there was a trap somewhere in this old place.”  
“Sure.” Merlin rolled his eyes.  
Arthur pulled a few skeletons away from Merlin and grabbed his arms. He lugged him out, giving his back a quick push.  
Merlin slid the rest of the way down the pile of bones.  
Arthur followed him, after grabbing his sword of course.  
“Now what?” Merlin asked him.  
“We keep moving.” Arthur said with a smile.  
“You know this is your fault, right?” Merlin asked him. “You were the one who brought us here in the first place.”  
“I regret to say that you’re wrong. It was actually the boat.” Arthur admitted.  
“The boat. Sure.” Merlin clearly didn’t believe him.  
Arthur ordered him to pick up one of the torches in the room. They were lucky there was a hallway that branched off from the room of bones.  
Merlin was again in the lead. He just wanted to get out of here. Arthur was literally having the time of his life. After growing up in a castle, an adventure like this was a huge milestone for him. Then again, Merlin didn’t know how long it would be before the Death Lion’s possession took over his mind again.  
The hallway took the boys to a very interesting place – an underground spring. The water was clear, blue and warm, and a small waterfall rested behind the spring itself. There were also some crystals on the ceiling.  
It reminded Merlin of the Crystal Cave. He stared at the spring, calling to Arthur. “Arthur, check this out.”  
“What is it?” Arthur asked in an excited voice behind him. It wasn’t long until he joined Merlin at the mysterious spring. “Here we go,” he added, and he pointed at a bright light coming from under the spring’s waterfall. “A way out.”  
“Are you sure?” Merlin nervously asked.  
“Always the pessimist, aren’t you?” said Arthur. He propped his sword up against a wall.  
Merlin nervously watched him as he approached the spring.  
Kneeling to it, Arthur ran his hand through the water.  
As soon as he did, a sudden voice came from the ceiling of crystals. “You’re here.”  
Merlin and Arthur jumped. Arthur wasted no time to rush to his sword and grab it. He pulled Merlin behind his arm, asking, “Who’s there?”  
“Do not fear us,” said the voice.  
Hundreds of bright, blue lights emerged from the crystal ceiling and floated down to the two boys. It turns out they were little people who spotted beautiful, white wings behind their backs. However, they were not Sidhe.  
A woman floated down and hovered in front of Merlin’s and Arthur’s faces. She had long, golden hair and blue eyes. She wore a leaf circlet around her forehead and a shimmering white dress.  
She gave the boys a quick curtsy, saying, “We are the spirits of the Lake of Peace, the faeries. We live in the crystals of this spring. We have been waiting for you two for a long time.”  
Both Merlin’s and Arthur’s eyes roamed. They were surrounded by faeries. There were men, women, and even children. The child faeries were curious about the strangers. They did not fly off and play like a faerie child should.  
Merlin and Arthur were not sure if they could trust these beings.  
“Are you Sidhe?” Arthur asked them.  
“The opposite,” said the woman. “I am Talya, Elder of the faeries. You are King Arthur, aren’t you?”  
“How do you know?” said Arthur.  
“We know all the good spirits in the world.” Talya explained. Next, she glanced at Merlin. “And you must be Merlin, King Arthur’s manservant.”  
“I am.” Merlin said in a suspicious voice. “What do you want from us?”  
“The Death Lion is loose in this world. Only two can defeat it, and those two are you.” Talya explained.  
“Us?” Arthur wanted to know.  
“The Death Lion can only be defeated by magic, but this is a different kind of magic,” continued the faerie Elder. “You two are the only ones who possess such power.”  
Merlin shivered. Oh no. If Arthur found out he had magic, then he would kill him.  
However, Talya repeated what Kilgharrah told him. “The magic I speak of is not the magic you’re used to. It is no accident that you are here. We have been waiting hundreds of years to give you our gift. Please accept it.” With that, Talya closed her eyes. She clapped her hands together and brought them to her chest.  
As did the rest of the faeries.  
Merlin and Arthur stood back-to-back in order to watch the phenomenon.  
The faeries flew around their bodies and heads and sprinkled them with bright, blue faerie dust. The men grabbed the women, starting to dance with them. Even the children joined. Talya and her people flew to the spring. Half of the fairies danced over it while the other half danced in front of the waterfall.  
“What’s going on?” Merlin whispered to Arthur.  
“I don’t know.” Arthur whispered back. He put his sword back on his belt.  
While the faeries danced, the spring’s water started to bubble. Talya flew to the waterfall. She sprinkled some fairy dust on it. At her command, the waterfall split apart. Two beautiful swords came floating out of it. They had silver blades and golden handles.  
Merlin’s and Arthur’s eyes widened at the sight of them.  
Slowly and carefully, the swords floated in their direction. The faeries swayed around them. Their fairy dust caused the blades to shimmer light blue. The swords’ handles made their way towards Merlin’s and Arthur’s hands. Together, they reached for them. The swords gently set themselves down in their palms. The boys wrapped their fingers around them. A great flash of light emitted from the blades. It temporarily blinded them. Merlin and Arthur closed their eyes.  
Eventually, the light faded. No longer did the blades glow. Strangely, the swords didn’t weigh much, and they were a perfect fit in Merlin’s and Arthur’s hands. They curiously examined them. The spring stopped bubbling, and the waterfall came back together.  
“These are the Faerie Swords.” Talya elucidated. “They are the only weapons that can defeat the Death Lion. They are not forged in dragon’s breath, but by faerie magic. One hit from them, and the Death Lion will instantly vanish. Anyone affected by its magic will be freed. Arthur and Merlin, you are the only ones who can handle these swords. But be wary. You must strike the Death Lion at the right moment in order for the magic to work.”  
“How will be know when the time is right?” Merlin asked.  
Talya’s voice was gentle. “You’ll know.”  
Arthur lowered his sword to his side. He nodded at Talya, saying, “Thank you.”  
She nodded back. “The mermaids will take you to surface. What you do next is up to you. We wish you luck, young warriors.” With that, Talya flapped her wings. She and her people flew up to the crystal ceiling, where they disappeared inside their homes.  
Only moments after they left, two mermaids swam into the spring. They entered from underneath the waterfall, where Arthur predicted the exit was. One mermaid had brown hair, and the other one had blonde hair. One by one, they helped Arthur and Merlin into the warm water.  
Arthur blushed.  
As did Merlin. It was just not every day he swam with a mermaid.  
The mermaids performed a spell that allowed them to breathe underwater temporarily. At the same time, they dove, taking the friends with them, and swam under the waterfall.  
There was a beautiful, crystal tunnel behind it. Merlin and Arthur could see their reflections. Arthur waved at his, but Merlin shivered. He held the Faerie Sword in his right hand, and he dragged it along behind him.  
The mermaids’ tails flapped gracefully in the water. Both of them smiled at the boys.  
Arthur, already under their spell, smiled back at his mermaid.  
Merlin, though, was thinking about what Talya said. He still couldn’t figure out what this “different” kind of magic was. He had no idea what to expect. Was it time for him and Arthur to face the Death Lion? What would happen if they did right now? There was only one way to find out. He and Arthur had to find the beast before it tracked down Esmerelda and the search party. A battle was just around the corner, but who would emerge victorious? Even Merlin could not predict that.


	12. Chapter 11 Reign of the Death Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Arthur makes the deadliest decision of his life!

The mermaids took Merlin and Arthur back to the beach where they found the stranded boat. They dropped them off on the sand before sliding back out to the Lake of Peace.  
Merlin and Arthur, both carrying the Faerie Swords, thanked them, waving goodbye.  
The mermaids waved back.  
Arthur started to roam, but Merlin was lost in thought. He could not get Talya’s warning out of his head:  
_“‘You must strike the Death Lion at the right time in order for the magic to work.’”_  
What did she mean by that? Why did Merlin feel so clammy all of a sudden? He snapped out of his doze when Arthur threw a stick at him, and it hit him in the arm.  
“We don’t have time for this. We need to find the Death Lion,” he told his manservant.

***

Merlin and Arthur returned to the search party. At the sight of them, Guinevere literally broke down in tears.  
“Merlin! Arthur! There you are!” She threw herself into Arthur’s arms, crying into his shoulder.  
Next to them, Merlin continued to stare into space.  
_“‘Strike the Death Lion at the right time; a different kind of magic.’”_  
Merlin did not even notice that Guinevere had pulled him into a hug too.  
“Merlin!” she said.  
“Huh?” Blinking, Merlin shook out his head. “Oh, hi, Gwen.”

***

The search party took some time to set up camp. By then, Elyan had woken up. Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Sir Leon, and Agravaine also managed to snap out of Esmerelda’s spell.  
Agravaine left to go grab some firewood, but he made a slight detour to speak with Morgana. This was because he did not like the looks of the swords Arthur and Merlin received from the cave they mentioned.  
The Death Lion planned to attack early in the morning, but under Agravaine’s concern, it changed its mind. It meant to get rid of Merlin and Arthur, but at the end of the day, it helped them.  
“So the faeries gave you those swords?’ Esmerelda asked Merlin and Arthur. Gwen and the knights still did not know that she was a mermaid, and Esmerelda intended to keep it that way. She, the knights, Arthur, Merlin, and Gwen were sitting in a circle. It looked very much like a council meeting at the Round Table.  
Smiling, Arthur said, “Yes.” He held up his sword to show it off. “One strike from these swords and the Death Lion will disappear into oblivion. Poof! Just like that!”  
“Don’t you think that’s a little _too_ easy?” Elyan asked. Wrapped in a blanket he got from his horse, he held a warm drink in his hand.  
Arthur considered Elyan’s words. “Sure,” he said, but there was definitely some uncertainty in his voice.  
Merlin jumped in for him. “The faeries also mentioned that we need to attack at the right time.”  
Arthur scoffed. “Poppycock. They just said that to scare us.” Rolling his eyes, he rubbed his fist on top of Merlin’s head.  
“Ow! Ow!” he complained. He quickly pulled away from his friend. “Arthur, not to be rude – I mean – I know you’re the king, but I really think we need to return to Camelot and think this over.”  
“Why? The faeries gave us these swords for a reason. They want us to get rid of the Death Lion as quickly as possible. They’re tired of its rein in our world just like us. You’re such a scaredy-cat, Merlin.” Arthur gave Merlin another fist rub on the old noggin. Chuckling, he patted his shoulder and rose to his feet. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go see if I can find my uncle.”  
Unfortunately, he was not able to take a single step before a terrifying roar came from the forest. It scared the horses, but they were not able to run. The search party had them tied to some trees. Instead, they whinnied and leaped back on their hind legs.  
“What’s that?” Esmerelda frightfully asked.  
Sir Leon, Sir Percival, Sir Elyan, and Sir Leon leaped up and grabbed their swords. They pointed them in the direction where the roar came from.  
“Ah, perfect.” Arthur mumbled under his breath.  
The Death Lion leaped out of the woods. It was still limping a little bit from the wound Arthur gave it earlier, but for the most part, it had strangely healed.  
Esmerelda and Guinevere jumped. They threw themselves into each other’s arms and stared deeply into the Death Lion’s red eyes.  
Seeing it, Esmerelda and Merlin felt their magic draining. Esmerelda’s head fell forward, and Merlin started to sweat.  
Guinevere gave her shoulder a quick shake. “Esmerelda!” she yelled. Then her eyes landed on Merlin. “Merlin!”  
Arthur held his hand out to her and gave her orders. “Get Esmerelda to safety. The Death Lion is here for her.”  
“Why?” Gwen asked in a frightened voice.  
“Because she’s a magical being,” said Arthur.  
Gwen and the knights gave him a weird look.  
“I’ll explain later.” Arthur continued. “For now, we need to keep her safe.”  
Merlin piped up. “And the only way to do that is for us to return to Camelot.”  
“Merlin. Merlin.” Arthur grabbed hold of his shoulder. “I always knew you were a scaredy-cat, but this? Aren’t you forgetting that we have the Faerie Swords on us?”  
“I seriously do not think it’s time for us to use them.” Merlin admitted.  
Sir Leon tried to get across to Arthur. “Maybe you should listen to him, Arthur.”  
“Silence!”  
Sir Leon jumped. He hated it when Arthur got mad.  
“We have the Faerie Swords! They will get rid of the Death Lion just as quickly as it appeared before us!” he shouted. “Come on, Merlin!” Shooing the knights away, Arthur grabbed Merlin’s arm. He dragged him towards the Death Lion.  
“My Lord!” Sir Leon yelled.  
“Just leave it to us!” Arthur announced. “For now, you all need to take shelter.”  
Seeing that there was no point arguing with him, Sir Leon nodded. He and the knights escorted Gwen and Esmerelda over to a log, which was in front of a cluster of trees. They dove behind it, peering out to the two boys.  
“I’ve never seen you so terrified.” Arthur told Merlin who was sweating profusely.  
“We can’t do this. Please, Arthur.” Merlin begged.  
“Shut up. All we do is lift our swords, and wham! No more Death Lion!” Arthur grinned. Just holding the Faerie Sword, he felt invincible. The Death Lion stood no chance against him and Merlin.  
“I really think it’s too early.” Merlin argued. “Gaius knows more about the Old Religion than either of us. He can help us.”  
“We don’t need Gaius’s help.” Arthur argued back. He flicked Merlin’s nose. “All we need is the magic of the Faerie Swords.”  
“This is not the kind of magic we need!” Merlin yelled. “It’s the magic of – Arthur, stop!”  
Too late. Arthur forced him to attack the Death Lion. He threatened to chop off his head if he refused to follow his orders. No one doubted the king! He knew what was best for his people!  
Gwen, Esmerelda, and the knights nervously watched from their hiding place.  
Esmerelda chewed on her nails. She wanted to stop Arthur, but she knew she couldn’t. Arthur had to learn from his own mistakes.  
A rumble of thunder came from above the Lake of Peace. Nevertheless, Merlin and Arthur lifted the Faerie Swords high over their heads.  
Merlin tried to use magic to throw Arthur’s sword from his hand, but it did not work. The Death Lion was too powerful, and it kept on stripping him of his powers.  
“So long, Death Lion! Now, Merlin!” Arthur shouted. He slapped Merlin’s back, since he had a feeling he wasn’t going to listen to him. The impact knocked Merlin’s sword out of his hand, causing it to fly forward.  
“No!” Merlin screamed.  
The Faerie Swords flew straight for the Death Lion’s heart. It did not move a muscle. This was not because it was scared. In fact, it was nowhere near scared. It was because it was well aware of Arthur’s mistake. The swords edged closer and closer before…stab! They struck it right in the chest.  
“Yes!” Arthur cheered, but he celebrated too soon.  
Nothing happened. The Death Lion did not vanish into oblivion. A magic blue force field appeared all over its body, and snap! The Faerie Swords broke in two pieces. They landed at the monster’s feet.  
Through telepathy, it yelled, _“You imbecile!”_ at Arthur.  
Arthur merely stared. His mouth gaped.  
Merlin made a face at him that read _You’re such a clotpole!_  
“What happened?! No!” was all Arthur could say. The Faerie Swords were supposed to KO the beast. What was the meaning of this?!  
Stomping its feet, the Death Lion let out another terrifying roar. Rain fell from the clouds above, soaking the whole search party.  
“No!” Esmerelda shouted. She held her hands in front of her face.  
There was a great flash of light. Gwen and the knights looked away. When the light faded, Esmerelda was on the ground, but she was no longer a human. She was a mermaid. She frightfully looked Gwen and the knights in the eyes.  
“You’re a mermaid!” Sir Leon shouted. Terrified, he, Gwaine, Leon, Percival, and Gwen backed away from Esmerelda.  
“I’m sorry,” she choked.

***

“Run!” Merlin shouted at Arthur. He picked up the two halves of his Faerie Sword and prepared to sprint, but Arthur did not join him.  
He was kneeling over his own Faerie Sword. Picking it up, he whimpered, “I failed.”  
Merlin fell to his knees next to him. “Yeah, you did.” Grabbing Arthur’s arm, he lugged him to his feet. The two friends barely managed to dodge a swipe from the Death Lion. Not only that, but Merlin caught a glimpse of Agravaine and Morgana. They were standing behind the beast, smiling evilly. Merlin knew it! Agravaine must have called the ambush!  
The glow in the Faerie Swords faded. Merlin and Arthur rushed towards the horses. To the rest of the search party, Arthur yelled, “The horses! We need to get out of here!”  
The knights and Gwen, still freaked out by Esmerelda’s true form, abandoned her.  
Soaking wet, she held her hand out to them, begging, “Please!”  
Merlin heard her. He turned his head in her direction, yelling at his friends, “We can’t just leave her!”  
“Yes, we can! She’s a monster!” Sir Percival shouted. “Mermaids cannot be trusted!”  
Gwen stared at the frightened mermaid. The Death Lion was creeping in her direction, licking its lips. Oh, how it loved fresh fish from the Lake of Peace for dinner.  
Esmerelda returned Gwen’s stare. Tears streamed down her cheeks, mixing in with the rain, which now poured. A bolt of lightning caused half her body to flash white. “Please,” she frightfully begged Gwen.  
Gwen narrowed her eyebrows. She yelled, “I can’t believe how selfish you are!” at the knights.  
“Gwen, wait!” Arthur shouted, but Gwen made her move.  
She leaped into the fray and sprinted to Esmerelda.  
The Death Lion charged. It swiped its claws at Esmerelda and Gwen, catching Gwen’s arm as she was helping the mermaid up.  
The young woman yelled in pain, but she did not give up. Luckily, Arthur and Merlin came to her rescue. Merlin helped both her and Esmerelda, and Arthur threw his normal sword at the beast. It rolled headfirst, like a boomerang, and stabbed the beast in its left eye. Stab!  
Roaring, the Death Lion stumbled. It was walking in its own blood. While it was stunned, Merlin and Arthur escorted Esmerelda over to the horses. Merlin tossed her onto the neck of his horse, while Arthur picked up his sword.  
“NO!” Morgana screamed in the woods. Lifting her fist, she punched a tree.  
She and Agravaine started to run out, but by then, the search party was already galloping away. Still stunned, the Death Lion fell onto its side in a puddle of blood. Arthur’s attack knocked its eye right out of its socket. It was rolling away from the beast, towards the lake. A seagull made off with it.

***

The search party galloped their fastest back through the forest and away from the Lake of Peace.  
Esmerelda’s eyes expanded as her home grew smaller and smaller.  
The party was in such a rush that they did not notice Agravaine was missing. Right now, they just had to get the heck out of here. The broken Faerie Swords were bouncing up against Merlin and Arthur’s saddlebags.  
Merlin glanced at Arthur who looked both confused and humiliated. That battle with the Death Lion did not go at all as planned, all because of his deadly mistake.  
Together, Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Sir Leon, and Sir Elyan glanced at their king.  
Merlin, who was galloping next to him, shrugged his shoulders. “I told you,” he said.

***

Talya of the faeries sensed what happened. She rounded up her people so she could hold a board meeting in front of their crystal homes.  
Each faerie gave her a nervous face. None made a sound. Their wings did not sparkle. Parents held their children close to them. They did not like the look in Talya’s eyes. Nor did the children.  
The Faerie Elder took a deep breath. She held her small hands in front of her and lowered her head in shame.  
Underneath her, the Crystal Room’s spring lost its miraculous glow. The flow of the waterfall slowed.  
Talya shook her head. A few minutes of silence passed, and then she finally opened her mouth to speak. This was what she said:  
“The king has failed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Part 1


End file.
